Please Remember Me
by aprilshowers0101
Summary: Almost 5 yrs ago, Hermoine's memories were taken from her and she was taken from Ron. The war is long over and the search for her called off. What happens when Ron runs into her again in the States? My first posted fic. Summary sucks but I think you'll li
1. Prologue Years Gone By

**Please Remember Me**

Disclaimer : The _Harry Potter _characters in this story belong to J.K. Rowling. Many thanks to her for letting them roam about in the world I created for a bit.

PROLOGUE – Years Gone By

It's funny, you know, how people tend to throw cliché remarks about when they really don't know what else to say. _'My, how time flies…' 'You don't know what you've got…' 'In a perfect world…' _Well, you get the drift. Most of the time it is unnerving and irksome to have these phrases thrown haphazardly at you. Sometimes, though, you need to sit back and laugh at the irony and absurdity of the statements. At least, that's what I have had to do in order to keep my sanity after all the I've had to endure throughout the years that should've resulted in its loss.

I know that mostly the _'time flies' _cliché is used with sarcastic undertones implying that because things weren't fun, time seemed to drag on. But, in actuality, time flies when your not having fun as well. However, it usually doesn't became apparent how much time has past until you are looking back and realize the years have flown by in what simply felt like minutes or hours.

For example, even though it seems like only yesterday, it has been ten years, ten months and two days since a bushy-haired, slightly buck-toothed, know-it-all, eleven-year-old witch exited the train compartment on the Hogwarts Express that I was sharing with the boy who would quickly become my best mate only to remark, almost as a second thought, that I had dirt on my nose. It wasn't quite two months later that I was helping to save her from a mountain troll that had been set loose in the school. The act secured her as a best mate as well, and the "Golden Trio" was born.

It has been seven years, six months and fourteen days since I truly looked at the same know-it-all witch only to find that she wasn't just my other best mate but that she was my _girl_ best mate. That revelation not only excited me beyond belief but terrified me more than I had ever been (and with the adventures that I had shared with my friends up to that point, that was really saying something). Then one year, six months and three days later, I came to my senses only to find her lying unconscious on the cold floor of the Ministry of Magic. I was sure at that moment that she was dead and gone from me forever. I felt as I had never felt before. My heart felt like it was caught in the grip of that same mountain troll that I helped save her from and my chest felt as though it was being sat on by the largest hippogriff the Wizarding World had ever seen. For the first time in my school-age life, I cried in public and the only thought that was in my mind was that she was gone and I'd never get to tell her that I loved her. I was so distraught that I didn't even flinch at the self-admission.

It was five years and four days ago that I finally did just that…told her I loved her. We had spent most of the previous several months not speaking to one another, which had only ended due to a near death experience of my own. Then not long after we were finally on speaking terms again, tragedy struck and Dumbledore was gone. We still talked, but our conversations were more somber. The afternoon after we had attended Dumbledore's funeral, she stopped speaking not only to me but to everyone once we arrived at King's Cross only to receive the news that her house had been attacked that morning by Death Eaters and her parents had been murdered. We took her home to the Burrow where Mum set her up in the twin's old room. For three days and three nights, she didn't move from the bed. She didn't eat nor drink let alone speak to anyone. To my knowledge, she didn't even shed a tear. Just simply lay in shock staring at the wall.

On the fourth night, I had just drifted off to sleep and was working into quite an inappropriate dream about the brightest witch of our age when the clicking of my door being shut startled me out of my slumber. The only thing that stopped me from sitting bolt upright once my eyes shot open was seeing the silhouette of said witch being illuminated by the moonlight filtering in through my small bedroom window. She moved toward me slowly, almost as if she was floating, but never made eye contact. She silently pulled back my bedcovers and climbed in next to me, resting her head on my chest. My mind was reeling frantically trying to decide whether this was reality or fantasy, when the matter was decided for me as I felt her shoulders begin to shudder and heard the sobs escaping her. My arms immediately went around her as she clutched at me like a lifeline and sobbed days worth of anguish. I don't know how long we lay there crying together until she calmed and was on the verge of sleep. Before her exhaustion took her, she worked her arms partially under my back and gave me the best hug she could in the position that we were in then got up and left my room as quietly as she had come in. The next day she was asleep every time I checked on here but Mum had reassured me that she was fine and that she had finally eaten a bit throughout the day.

That night she came into my room again much in the same fashion as the night before. She crawled into my bed, but this time into my waiting arms and began to cry her heart out. This night my eyes filled with tears at her pain but I didn't cry as I had the night before. I held her tightly with my right arm while my left hand gently stroked her hair and back in the comforting sort of way. She didn't cry as long this night, and when she calmed once again, she sat up and wiped away the tears. I expected her to leave as she did the previous night, but then she surprised me when she took hold of my left hand with hers and intertwined our fingers. She made eye contact with me for the first time in days before she lay back down on her side facing away from me, effectively pulling me onto my right side so that I was facing her back with my left arm wrapped around her. Now my left hand was being held onto by both of her tiny hands and she was gently stroking the back of my hand with her thumbs. Time suddenly stopped. I had once told her that one person couldn't feel so many things at one time or they would explode. In that moment, I was proved wrong because I felt happy, scared, nervous, confused and even slightly aroused. I read so much into that one simple act that I prayed to whomever listens that I wasn't wrong. Eventually her breathing evened out and I knew she had fallen asleep. It was mere minutes after she dozed off that I fell asleep only to awake the next morning alone.

The third night she ventured into my room she changed my life forever. Once again, every time I checked on her that day, she was sleeping. By the time I crawled into bed that evening, I was a nervous wreck because all I could think of was how I had feigned sleep when Lavender came to see me when I was in the hospital wing only months before. I just knew that I had completely misunderstood my friends actions the night before and that she, too, was faking being asleep so that she wouldn't have to face me with an excuse about how it was a mistake coming to me at night. After I extinguished the lights, I was lying there muttering under my breath about how stupid I was when my bedroom door opened, and I was once again blessed with the presence of the only girl, no woman, I've ever loved. As with the previous two evenings, she silently climbed into my bed and into my arms and rest her left cheeked on my chest. Also as with the previous nights, my right arm wrapped protectively around her waist and my left hand began smoothing her long, curly hair. Unlike the two nights before, she didn't begin sobbing. I knew that she was crying because I could feel the wetness begin to gather on my T-shirt, but she wasn't shuddering from the intense sobs as she had previously. I just continued to lay there enjoying the feel of her in my arms, slowly drifting to sleep when the sound of her voice startled me.

"_They're gone, Ron. Oh, Merlin! They're really , really gone!"_

I felt my heart wrench. It had been days since I had heard that lovely voice of hers, and now when I was finally hearing it again, it was only to hear such intense grief and sorrow. And then came the sobbing. I grasped her a little tighter, stroked her hair a little quicker and said the only thing I could think to say.

"_I'm sorry, love. I'm so, so sorry."_

She continued to cry a bit longer as I worked to calm her with my touch, never once giving a second thought to the endearment that I had just used. Moments later she spoke again.

"They were the only family I had and now they're gone. The were my only family and in the last six years, I don't think that I spent a total of a year with them. I can't even remember the last time I told them I loved them. What if they didn't think that I loved them?"

"_Don't be silly, love. They knew you loved them, and it's obvious that they loved you very much because they supported who you are. I'm sure they missed you greatly, but they understood how important this life, in our world, means to you." _Even thinking back, I can't believe that I was so articulate. _"And as far as you not having any family left, well you'll always have me." _I had truly intended to say that she had me and my family and Harry, of course, but it was as if my mouth stopped taking orders from my brain in the brief second.

She sat up and made eye contact with me for only the second time in days. However, it was more than simple eye contact. She was staring into my eyes, searching them as if to find the declaration to accompany such a bold statement. All I can say, is what she was hoping to find there must've been present because she leaned down and pressed her soft lips gently to mine. It was really such a chaste kiss that part of my mind started to question whether it had really happened because when I focused back on her, she was looking deep in my eyes once again. I opened my mouth to speak but there was nothing there. My mind couldn't wrap around a single thought to verbalize. I watched a tear escaper her right eye and begin to slip slowly down her cheek. I could see now the anguish on her face that had nothing to do with the loss of her parents. She was surely thinking that she had made a grave mistake. I needed to fix things quickly. I reached up to gently wipe the tear away with my thumb and when my skin made contact with hers, it was very clear what needed to be said.

"I love you."

Her eyes widened, and she gasped slightly. She obviously hadn't been expecting that. A little part of me was chastising myself for saying it, but another part just kept insisting that it needed to be said no matter the consequences. Then there were no thoughts at all because her mouth was covering mine in the most passionate kiss I had ever received. Quickly the kissed moved from passionate to desperate. When it became necessary to breathe she said the two words that changed everything between us.

"Show me."

This time my eyes widened in shock, and I frantically was searching hers for answers. I didn't think she could possibly be saying what my body was hoping she was saying. For Merlin's sake, she was grieving, she surely wasn't asking me to…She must've read the uncertainty in my stare because she whispered the four words I needed for absolute clarification.

"Make love to me."

"_Are you sure?" _I needed further clarification, apparently. It just didn't seem right that she wanted to have sex when her parents had been brutally murdered only six days ago. Later in life, I learned that some people turn to physical comfort to try to wash away the pain of loss.

"Yes."

"_Are you really sure?"_

This time she answered with another deep, passionate kiss.

"_I…I've never…" _I couldn't believe that I was admitting it, but I needed her to know. We had never breached the subject after the Lavender fiasco, but I needed her to know that I hadn't gone there with her; that unlike some teenage blokes, the act was to mean something more to me.

"I love you, Ron. It's only ever been you."

That statement was what did it for me; what broke the last of my resolve to hold back. She had voiced the exact reason why this boundary had never been crossed with Lavender, because for me, it had only ever been her as well. I made love to her that night. No, we made love to one another. We shared our first time together and though, I know it wasn't great, it was perfect because it was two people who were so deeply in love sharing years worth of pent up emotions. The next morning, I awoke to find her still in my arms nuzzling into my neck. At that moment, all was right in this crazy world.

Four years, eleven months and eighteen days ago (or sixteen days after our first night together), everything in the world became anything but right. A plan had been uncovered that indicated that Voldemort needed the love of my life (okay so she was Harry Potter's best friend and smartest witch of the age) in order to defeat Harry, and he indicated that he would stop at nothing before he had her. The Order had devised a plan of their own to keep her safe, and although it tore me up inside, I supported her one hundred percent when she agreed that it was best. It had been decided that her memories, all her memories since the age of eleven, would be removed and replaced with alternate memories; she would be removed from the country and placed into a safe house with her secret guarded by only one person; her memories would be stored in an unbreakable vial and would be returned to her once the war was over. Nymphadora Tonks was chosen as her secret keeper and I the guardian of her memories. The evening before she left we spent until dawn crying and making love and napping occasionally. The morning she left, I told her I loved her and that I'd see her again soon. That afternoon, Remus Lupin returned to the Burrow with the vial that I now carry attached to a chain around my neck.

Three years, eight months and twenty four days ago, Tonks was killed at the battle of Hogsmeade and with her died the location of the safe house my one and only love had been placed in. Three years, six months and two days ago the war ended with the defeat of Voldemort. For once the cliché was right. _'Good shall prevail.'_

For one year, two months and nine days, Harry and I searched the world over, but never found our best mate. I had promised him that if we hadn't found her in a year, I would return home with him and join the Auror program as we had originally planned. He gave me the extra sixty-eight days because he just couldn't bare to give up either.

One year, four months and nineteen days ago, I became a fully trained Auror. Six days ago, I arrived in the States on the first mission that Harry and I are to co-lead. Although, we have given up our official search, I keep telling myself that one day I'll round a corner and there she'll be, still bushy-haired, bright eyed and as brilliant as ever.

So yes, the phrase goes _'You don't know what you've got until its gone.'_ Well I knew exactly what I had even before I had it, and I definitely didn't need her to be gone to know that I'd never love anyone like I loved her. But as it is, she is gone, and I think about what we had every damned day.

I guess in a perfect world, she'd be in my arms right now. In a perfect world, the only key to her return wouldn't have been brutally raped and murdered by that vicious werewolf Greyback. In a perfect world, she would've never had to leave in the first place. Hell, in a perfect world, I'd still be able to say her name, but then again, I suppose in a perfect world, there wouldn't be a story to be told.


	2. Chapter 1 Light In Your Eyes

**Please Remember Me**

Disclaimer : The _Harry Potter _characters in this story belong to J.K. Rowling. Many thanks to her for letting them roam about in the world I created for a bit.

Thank you for the reviews. This is my first published fic and only the second that I've written. Your reviews were very encouraging. I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint

CHAPTER 1 – Light In Your Eyes

Miranda Kennedy Chase awoke with a start gasping for air. It was that damn nightmare again. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to get her bearings. It had been at least three months since she had awoke in the middle of the night by the nightmare that had plagued her for nearly five years. She wasn't affected quite as much as she was when it first started, but it still affected her more than she would have liked.

Now she just yawned and rubbed her face before stretching and rolling over onto her side, reaching out for Mark with her eyes still closed. She sighed when she found only cold bedding in his place and remembered that he was out with Joe tonight so she probably wouldn't be seeing hide or hair of him until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest. It was the first time in two years that he hadn't been there when she awoke from this nightmare. He had once, jokingly, told her that one day she'd wake up and see exactly how much **she** needed **him**. She had quickly written it off as part of their playful banter, but at that moment she knew he was completely right. Mark always seemed to make her feel better.

She had decided that she was just going to have to think of happy thoughts and attempt to will herself back to sleep as she had done many times before Mark was in her life so she took in a deep breath and slowly let it out. Truly she didn't know how she would've gotten by these past years without him. They had a relationship that was quite difficult to define, but in moments like this, he was definitely not only her rock but her security blanket as well.

She rolled onto her back sighing once again when she realized that her bladder was not going to allow her to return to her slumber no matter what kind of happy thoughts she imagined.

Minutes later she stood in front of the bathroom mirror fully relieved, splashing water onto her face trying to shake the feelings that were left in her from the nightmare. Drying he face, she reluctantly looked at her reflection. There were subtle changes to her appearance that she had made over the past several months as well as some that life in general had made for her.

She felt another wave of what Mark liked to refer to as the _'heebie-jeebies'_ wash over her. That was what she was missing with Mark being gone tonight. She couldn't explain it, but he always seemed to make those feelings disappear almost immediately. She shuddered and said softly to herself, "Get a grip, Hermione."

'_NO!'_ she mentally chided herself. _'Hermione Granger is dead; killed when she had to enter the witness protection program nearly five years ago.'_

This had become a ritual anytime she would lose her bearings in life. She would stand staring at her reflection reminding herself that she was Miranda Kennedy Chase who grew up outside of London and had moved to the States to live with her Aunt and Uncle after her parents were killed in an automobile accident.

In actuality, she had grown up outside of London and her parents had, in fact, been killed; however, they were murdered as part of a political revolt. The authorities had reason to believe that her life was in danger as well, so she had been placed in the program that changed her identity and relocated her to Salem, Massachusetts exactly five years ago this coming Tuesday. She was placed with a family who had previously agreed to take her in as a niece from the UK and the story of her parents' unfortunate automobile accident was formed.

All in all things hadn't been so bad. It hurt her to know that she had no family left, but the Chase family had accepted her with open arms and treated her much like a daughter of their own. Two and a half years ago she had met Mark and they became close very quickly. Hermione couldn't place her finger on it, but there was just something about Mark's aura that made him special. No matter what was happening in her life, Mark always made her feel calm and peaceful. If she believed that such a thing existed, she would have swore that it was magical.

About a year and a half ago Mark had purchased a home just outside of Boston and had asked Miranda to move in with him along with Daniel and Emma. The move was ideal because it put her closer to the college she had been accepted to not long after coming to the States, so she decided to finally start working on her higher education. Things had been going splendidly ever since.

Hermione shut off the lights in her bathroom and made her way back to her bed only to notice that it was just barely three in the morning. She crawled back into bed and stared at the dark ceiling. Once again, she cursed the damn nightmare for waking her from her slumber.

She had tried over the years to understand what it meant but could never come to any conclusion that made any sense. Rarely did she dream, but when she did she had one of two recurring nighttime dramas. The nightmare had been plaguing her less frequently, which was a blessing, because it was the one that left her feeling the most confused.

It was always the same. She was running through a dark forest with a boy who had eyes like emeralds being chased by creatures that look suspiciously like the mythical creature, Centaurs, and there was always something else giant that was present but she couldn't get a feeling as to whether it was a good or bad presence. She was always running hand in hand with this boy who elicited feelings of brotherhood, which was odd in itself since she was an only child, and ending as she tripped over a jutting root and lost the grip on the hand of her companion. It always felt so real, but how could it be since such creatures did not exist?

The other dream was much more pleasurable but was just as frustrating to say the least. It always left her with a feeling of unease and longing because it not only felt so real but also because Hermione was afraid that it probably was indeed real. The one aspect that aggravated her the most was the lack of clarity in the dream. Yes, an air of mystery was sometime nice, but this was just down right frustrating.

Like the nightmare, it was always the same, never faltering. There was always this head of red hair next to her face that she ran her fingers through, and there was always the feel of his warm breath against her ear as a freckled-skin, young man with an athletic build thrust deeply into her while they were making love, whispering over and over that he loved her until he would climax at which point she would awake without the slightest look at his face.

Frustrating!

Unlike the nightmare, which she knew was complete fantasy; she always feared that there was a possibility of some truth behind the dream. She just couldn't remember. There were things in her life that she knew must have happened to her, but she had no memory of them. This was not only frustrating but frightening as well, but she had quickly written off those memories as being related to the shock she suffered from over her parents' murders.

Nonetheless, after the first year of having both dreams on almost a nightly basis, she vowed not to dwell on either anytime she was awakened from one of them, and every time the vow was broken as she lay in the darkness analyzing. Glancing at the alarm clock again, she noticed that it was now half past three. She rolled onto her side and buried her face into the spare pillow left vacant by Mark, desperately trying to will herself asleep.

She knew that it would be just a few short hours before Daniel and Emma were up and about effectively ending her slumber. She also knew that sleep was much needed since she had to work at the pub later that night. As she settled further down into the bedcovers, her last thought was one begging the sandman to bring her redheaded stud into her dreams once again.

----------

Ron couldn't believe all the emotions that were running through him in this one moment in time. The woman he loved was straddling his hips as he lay on his boyhood bed, clad only in her brilliant pink lacey knickers. Just moments before she had pulled her nightshirt over her head and dropped it haphazardly to the floor. Now she sat there awaiting his appraisal of a part of her that no one had seen before with the start of blush creeping up her neck only to be lost behind the curtain of brown curls that were cascading over her bare shoulders. Ron gently ran the tips of his fingers over the milk white flesh of her breasts before running his thumb over a hardened nipple. She gasped, and he swore that there was not a more beautiful sound in the world.

"_Beautiful_," was all his lust-induced voice could murmur before her lips were crashing down on his once again.

Immediately his hands were tangled in her mass of hair, deepening the kiss as she quickly parted her lips for him. In one fluid movement, he had maneuvered their bodies so that she was now being pressed into the mattress by the weight of his body. Instinctively her legs went to his sides, so that his body was perfectly cradled between them. They both moaned at the contact of his erection pressed against her center, even though there was still the barrier of her knickers and his boxers between them.

He willed himself to calm down and not to begin grinding against her wildly until he found release. No, this was her first time, and his too for that matter, and he knew that things would likely be uncomfortable for her and he definitely wouldn't last very long, especially in the state that he was currently in. Therefore, he really had to calm himself before he did something that would probably scare her and definitely embarrass him.

His hands began to wander and they continued to kiss with increased fervor and passion. He suddenly remember the rather embarrassing but rather enlightening talk Bill had given him about taking care of his girl first and desperately tried to remember everything he had ever seen done in those dirty Wizarding magazines that Seamus had shared with his dorm mates over the past couple of years.

There was one particular image that he had continually found extremely erotic and had had several inappropriate daydreams involving doing that exact same thing to the best friend that now lay beneath him.

Slowly he kissed his way along her jaw line, across her collarbone, down over each breast and along her stomach. When he was just below her navel, he hooked his index fingers into either side of her knickers and began to inch them down slowly. As he continued to move them down her thighs, he looked into her eyes. It took his breath away at the sight of the light that shown in them that held so much emotion….lust, want, nervousness, anticipation, embarrassment, but most of all love.

"I love you," he whispered.

A smile spread across her face and danced in her bright eyes as a solitary tear slipped down her cheek. Unlike those he had seen so many of the past several days, this was a tear of happiness, of extreme joy. Still beaming at him, she opened her mouth and …

"Oi, Weasley!" resounded through his hotel room followed by incessant pounding on the door that adjoined his and Harry's room to Seamus and Neville's effectively pulling him from his slumber.

Ron rolled over so that he was lying flat on his back staring at the ceiling _'Maybe if I ignore him, he'll go away, and I can get back to my dream.' _Ron couldn't explain why but for the past week and a half (ever since arriving in the States), he had been dreaming every night about his first time with Hermione. It replayed in his mind each night and always left him feeling rather aroused but also lost and broken-hearted in the morning; however, every night he was more than happy to fall to sleep so he could be with her just as he had done tonight before he was rudely interrupted.

Continued pounding on the adjoining door pulled Ron from his thoughts once more. "Come on, Weasley! I know your not sleeping so stop wanking and get your lazy arse over here and open this door. We'll go find you a bird to take care of your bits for you!"

Ron sighed, knowing that any attempt to sleep now was futile, got out of bed and jerked the door open just as the Irishman's fist was about to begin another round of assault. "You know, Finnigan, you can be a right pain in my arse. I have half a mind to put you on guard duty and give Rosenberg the night off."

Seamus' hands quickly went into the air surrendering. "Now, now, _SIR_. I meant no disrespect, _SIR_!" He emphasized the 'sirs' just a little more than Ron would've liked. He knew that his old classmate was taking the mickey out on him about being in charge as he had this entire trip.

"Just as long as you don't forget who you're talking to!" Ron gave only a half-hearted glare before retreating further back into the room to retrieve a clean shirt and his jacket.

As he walked away, he heard Seamus saying under his breath but loud enough for Ron to hear, "Yeah, a sodding poof who's scared he may actually get lucky."

Ron whipped around to glare at the other man. Seamus started to cower a bit but thought better of it. He stood, sticking his chest out and trying to look taller than the five feet six inches that he was, daring the much larger Ron to deny the truth in the statement.

A couple of years ago, Ron would've been offended by the insinuation that he was stupid for remaining faithful to Hermione and would've likely tried to beat Seamus to a bloody pulp. However, Ron had grown up a lot in those two years so that now he just looked at Seamus' posture and shook his head while chuckling.

"You know, Finnigan, you're like one of those yippy little dogs who think they are tougher than they really are!"

Both men laughed as Ron pulled on the fresh shirt and threw his jacket over his shoulder. "Come on, mate. We better get down to the lobby before Neville starts giving Harry too many details about his and Luna's sex life," Ron said as he held open the door to the hallway of the Boston hotel they had spent the last four nights in. "Let's go get pissed!"

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Hermione worked her way through the crowd at _The Randy Buffalo_ gracefully carrying a tray of drinks to its destination at the table closest to the stage. In the year and four months that she had worked in this bar, she was amazed at how much it had grown in popularity. It had quickly become a hot spot for the college crowd, and the weekends were absolutely crazy especially between ten and two when there was a live band.

Hermione was especially excited tonight because Mark's friend Joe and his band were performing, and they always got her on stage for a song or two. It was really quite embarrassing how she had come to be included in their performances. Joe had been visiting the house one night several months back and had accidentally walked into the bathroom while she was in the shower belting out the lyrics to a Britney Spears song that had recently been played to death on all the local radio stations. At first, Hermione wasn't sure which was more embarrassing: having Joe walk in on her in the shower, being caught singing in the shower or being caught singing Britney Spears. Nevertheless, Joe couldn't stop insisting that she sing at least one or two songs with them when they played the _Buffalo_. She reluctantly agreed but couldn't believe now how much fun she actually had doing it.

She delivered the drinks to the bachelorette party that was eagerly awaiting the band to begin. One of the women in attendance was the girlfriend of the bass guitar player in Joe's band and as Hermione was handing out the round of mixed drinks, Kara was questioning her about whether she would be singing tonight or not. Unfortunately, that piqued the rest of the women's interested and they started throwing all kinds of questions her way. Thankfully the band started and she was able to make a break from the group. She took orders from several other tables before making her way back to the bar.

She rattled off what she needed to Jamie-Lynn who had the misfortune of working the bar tonight. She hadn't seen things this crazy since the week after finals a couple of months ago. She figured that people were finally back in town after being away on their various summer holidays and had decided on a night out. Crowds like this made Hermione very nervous; however, she tried her best not to let it affect her performance at work.

While she was waiting for Jamie-Lynn to fill her orders, she noticed that there was a very nervous looking lady who kept watching the front breezeway. _'Probably waiting on a blind date. Poor thing.'_ She was just about to start up a conversation with the woman when she felt a pair of rather large yet familiar hands wrap around her waist and a feather-light kiss just below her left ear. She instantly felt all the anxiety from the crowded bar dissipate.

"Hey, sweetie," Mark spoke close to her ear.

Hermione turned to smile at the tall blonde man with the biggest baby blue eyes that she had ever seen. She leaned in to speak to him so she wouldn't have to shout. "I wondered if I was going to be seeing you tonight or not; but I should've known you wouldn't miss seeing Joe. Did you ever make it home at all?"

"Yeah and I got your note too. Sorry I wasn't there for you last night. It's been a long time since you've had that nightmare. You know, though, it just proves what I've been saying all along." He chuckled lightly and gave her a cheeky grin. "So Daniel and Emma went up to Salem for the weekend?" Hermione simply nodded. "Whatever are you going to do?" he asked and followed it by a waggle of the eyebrows.

Hermione playfully smacked him on the arm and said, "You're terrible, you know it!"

"Miranda, you're up," Jamie-Lynn said from behind Hermione.

Mark kissed her on the nose and said, "See ya later, love," before turning to walk away.

Hermione swatted him on the arse as he made his way to the normal "friends of the band" table to the right of the stage. He playfully shook it at her before strutting away. She giggled and turned to grab her tray only to notice Jamie-Lynn was smiling at her and shaking her head.

"You two have got to be the oddest pair I've ever met, you know?"

Hermione smiled back. "Yeah, I know. It just proves, though, that **every** man really does need a woman in his life." She grabbed her tray and headed off to deliver the drinks. As the band was going into their second song of the evening, Hermione couldn't help but feel that there was something in the air tonight. For some reason she felt like something big was going to happen.

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Seamus had shamelessly drug Ron, Harry and Neville to half a dozen Muggle bars so far and Ron was beginning to loose his patience each time the randy bastard announced that this next bar would surely house the best beauties in Boston. It was growing close to midnight and Ron was just about to insist they call it a night when Seamus pleaded that they hit just one more bar before calling it quits. Ron conceded only because it was only three blocks and around the corner from their hotel. '_At least I'm close enough to walk if it comes to having to Stupefy him and carry his arse back.'_

Ron looked up at the neon purple sign above the entrance door to _The Randy Buffalo_. He chuckled shaking his head and wondered if the silly American that named this place had any idea at all. They entered and Ron was surprised by the size of the place as well as the size of the crowd inside.

"At least this place looks more popular than the last six," he shouted above the music and the noise of the crowd. At first glance, the place appeared to be two large rooms that sat perpendicular to one another with the bar running between the two rooms at a right angle. One room had a live band and a dance floor surrounded by tables and the other room was completely filled with tables except for the back corner that had about 4 billiard tables. The place was filled with men and woman that looked to be in the same age group as the four Aurors. Actually, to Ron, this place looked perfect. It was filled with several birds to keep Seamus busy but was busy enough with blokes as well that Harry and Neville, who were both happily married, and the happily single Ron could get lost in the crowd and go unnoticed.

They were barely in the door before the Irishman was off on the hunt for the perfect Muggle bird to shag all night. Every now and then, Ron would chuckle at how wizards of the same world could be so completely different in their views of non-magic folks. People like the Malfoys would've given anything for Voldemort to have triumphed so they could've hunted Muggles for sport. Wizards, like his Irish friend, hunted Muggles for a different type of sport. Ron, Harry and Neville pushed their way through the crowd and Ron couldn't help but laugh and point out that Seamus was already chatting up two birds. "Think he'll leave with both of them?" Ron asked.

"Bloody hell! If he does, I'm kipping in your room. I just hope this time he remembers to hang out that little sign on the door."

All three men laughed (Neville a little less than the other two) at the memory of poor Neville walking in on Seamus on their last mission while the latter was in an interesting position with the waitress from the hotel lounge. "Although, Luna quite enjoyed the knowledge I gained from that little mishap."

Ron quickly looked away and rolled his eyes. _'Oh, no! Here we go,'_ Ron thought. "Hey, mates, you try to find us a table and I'll get the drinks, my treat."

Harry shot Ron a look that told him two things: one, that buying his drink was the least Ron could do for Harry and two, that he could expect payback for leaving Harry with the other man when he was just getting started discussing his and his wife's healthy sex life. Ron just shrugged and gave Harry his best innocent face before smiling and heading off toward the bar.

Ron worked his way through the crowd on his way toward the middle of the bar where there looked to be a break in the people sitting along it. He noted that the band was actually pretty good and the woman that was now singing was actually doing the song some justice even though it was that same damn song he'd heard almost everywhere they'd been in this town. It was something about being thankful for the light in your eyes or some nonsense like that.

Once at the bar, he ordered three bottles of the same popular American beer that they had ordered at every other bar, and as he waited for the bartender to bring the drinks, he turned to take a look at the band. The song was almost over and Ron was truly amazed at how well this woman was singing the song and he couldn't help to think that she sounded vaguely familiar.

In the matter of mere seconds, Ron's world turned completely upside down and then stood absolutely still, even his breath was being held. Everything he had hoped for over the last five years was right there on that stage and as beautiful as he remembered her. He felt his eyes involuntarily fill with tears. "For the love of Dumbledore," he said under his breath.

On the stage, the song ended with the singer beaming at the round of applause that was echoing through the bar. The man behind the drums was smiling just as big and announced, "Ladies and gents, give it up for the _Buffalo's_ own, Ms. Miranda Chase."

----------

The song referenced is Sheryl Crow's Light In Your Eyes.

_Reviews much welcomed!_


	3. Chapter 2 Remember Me

**Please Remember Me**

Disclaimer : The _Harry Potter _characters in this story belong to J.K. Rowling. Many thanks to her for letting them roam about in the world I created for a bit.

As always, thank you so much for your reviews!

CHAPTER 2 – Remember Me

"Ladies and gents, give it up for the _Buffalo's_ own, Ms. Miranda Chase."

Hermione stood beaming back at the audience who was showering her with cheers and applause. She still couldn't believe the rush that she got from performing even after months of getting on stage at least once a weekend. For a few minutes she felt like there was nothing she couldn't do!

Quickly she sought out Jamie-Lynn behind the bar. Hermione had purposely chosen to sing "Light In Your Eyes" for her because the bartender absolutely loved the song, and with the crowd tonight, she'd need a little cheering up. Hermione was a little disappointed when she found that her friend was currently looking quite annoyed and was trying to get the attention of one of the customers standing next to the bar.

With her smile fading slightly, Hermione looked to see who had the other woman so agitated. Upon locking eyes with the patron that was paying no attention to his drink order, her heart sped up and her stomach fluttered. The reaction wasn't caused by whom she saw, because even though there was something oddly familiar about him, she was sure she'd never seen the man before. No, the goose bumps that now covered her skin were caused by the intense look of awe on the face of this man with flaming red hair.

Hermione couldn't ever remember seeing such a look on a man's face and definitely never directed at her. She smiled shyly at him as she quickly took in his appearance: tall, muscular build accentuated by the tight black T-shirt that stretched across his chest, and his flaming red hair. _'Oh, my, he's like something out of a dream. Mmm, red hair.' _She quickly looked away, embarrassed by the reaction her body had at a single thought. _'My dream!'_

She turned to grab her bottle of water in an attempt to calm herself and, unfortunately, met the eyes of Mark's friend Joe, who was stationed behind the drums. She was sure by the look he gave her that he was quite curious as to what had elicited the slight bout of embarrassment in her. She quickly looked away, but not before noticing that Joe had looked over her shoulder and out into the crowd. She had known Joe long enough to know what was coming next if she didn't distance herself from him, so she took a few quick sips of water then turned her attention back to the audience.

She thought that perhaps he wouldn't have a go at her while they were on stage. When she heard him clear his throat, she knew she wouldn't be so lucky. Hermione could just hear the smirk in his voice when Joe said into his microphone, "How'd you like to give us another one, Randi?"

She winced slightly before smiling into the crowd and saying, "I'd love to. And don't call me that." She turned slightly to glare at the drummer from the corner of her eye.

"Ah, yes. I forgot our favorite little Brit doesn't seem to like my nickname for her." Joe laughed and then covered his microphone to add so that only Hermione and the surrounding band members could hear, "But that's what you are, aren't you, love, and I think it has an awful lot to do with that guy over there who seems to have annoyed Jamie."

Hermione blushed furiously but wouldn't give Joe the satisfaction of turning to look at him. _'Well, if I'm that obvious, I might as well try to get myself some attention.'_ She turned to look at Brent, the lead guitar player, and said, "I think I wanna do Leann tonight." The boys had told her many times that this particular song made her voice sound quite sexy.

Under his breath, Joe said, "Told ya!" before the band started playing.

'------------

Ron was dreaming. He had to be. Hermione didn't sing, did she? Ron stood in complete shock staring in awe at the beautiful form of his best friend and love of his life, searching his memories for any of Hermione singing. _'That doesn't mean she never sang.'_

Ron couldn't stop staring at her. She looked just as gorgeous as he remembered her. He noticed that there were subtle things that were different about her. The most obvious was that she no longer had the body of a little girl because she had filled out into the curves of a woman. She had also cut her hair a little shorter than she had ever had it and it looked to be a little lighter in color, but it was still curly and Ron just knew that it would be bushy if she hadn't tamed it. However, it was when she had made eye contact and smiled at him, that he knew that there was no other person in the world that the woman on stage could be.

He stood fighting a battle of inner turmoil as emotions were racing through his body. Suddenly a large form blocked his view of the stage and thus pulled him out of his reverie. Quickly, he focused on a dark skinned man who had about four inches and at least fifty pounds on Ron.

"I believe the lady behind the bar would like your attention, sir."

'_Oh, yeah. Drinks…but Hermione.'_ He attempted to look around the larger man so he could once again see the stage. _'You know, I could take you down if I wanted to,' _thought Ron. However, before Ron felt compelled to engage in a brawl, he heard her angelic voice again agreeing to sing another song. _'Okay, Weasley, get a grip. She's not going anywhere.'_

Ron turned his attention to the bartender. "Sorry about that." He apologized over the sound of the music that had now started to play. "What do I owe you?"

"Don't worry about it. She's quite amazing, isn't she?" She smiled at Ron. "That'll be nine dollars."

Ron removed some Muggle American money from his wallet and paid the woman. "Is she here a lot?"

"Yeah, she waits tables here. She just sings a couple songs each night her friend's band plays." The bartender winked at Ron before walking away to take another drink order.

'_Okay. So at least she won't be disappearing on you!'_ Ron thought as he turned his attention back to the stage. _'But are you absolutely sure that it's her?'_

Once again, Ron was mesmerized by the sight of his long lost love. _'Oh, Dumbledore, please give me a sign so I can be sure!'_

Ron closed his eyes briefly to feel her voice reverberating through his body. He couldn't believe how deep and sultry it was. It washed over him and made him feel like he was at complete peace with the world. When the words that Hermione was singing finally registered in his mind, his eyes shot open.

"Please remember. Please remember me."

Ron's eyes went wide. Hermione, again, made eye contact with him and it was as if she was singing only to him when she started again.

"Goodbye. There's not sadder word to say. And it's sad to walk away, with just the memories."

Then she broke eye contact once more and began singing to the crowd. Ron simply looked to the sky and said, "Thank you, sir!"

He quickly turned and began to push his way through the crowd with his drinks now forgotten. He needed to find Harry and they needed to get Neville and Seamus out of this bar before they saw her. He knew that he had a very delicate situation on his hands. Remus had repeatedly gone over what Ron and Harry would be dealing with had they found her when they sat out searching after the war was over. He was going to have to think quick on this feet and clearly focus on the matter at hand. _'Damn Seamus for dragging us to all them bloody bars! Thank goodness we didn't stay in one of them long enough to have more than a beer each. I just hope Harry's still got a clear head, too.'_

He was only about three meters from his original position at the bar when he walked right into his raven haired friend.

"Hey, mate. There you are! Neville and I were beginning to think that you had found yourself a companion for the night." Harry smiled his cocky grin that he always wore when he was working on riling up his friend.

Ron paid it no attention. He quickly grabbed Harry's shoulders and said, "I have!" He completely ignored his friend's gasp and look of shock and continued. "It's her, Harry! It's really her. We've found her….finally found her!"

Harry hesitated and Ron was sure he was debating voicing the question that was ringing in his mind. His curiosity got the best of him. "Who?"

Ron pushed Harry forward so that he could have a straight-line view of the stage and said, "Hermione."

Ron watched the look of confusion on Harry's face turn to shock and then to awe as his friend finally got the first good look on the woman on stage. Ron quickly grabbed him and turned him away from the stage so that he could have his friend's full attention. Right now, time was of the essence.

"Ron?" Harry questioned, and Ron could see the thousands of questions that had raced through his own mind only moments before flashing in Harry's eyes.

"I know, Harry. Look, we have got to act fast and we've got to be careful. Remember what Lupin told us before about if we found her?"

Harry, still in shock, just stood nodding his head repeatedly in agreement.

"I need you to find Neville and Seamus and tell them that they need to report back to the hotel and await further orders. I know that Seamus will probably give you shit about having to leave, just make something up to get him out of here. Bloody hell, if you have to pull rank and order his sorry arse out of here! Then I need you to Apparate to the Salem portkey office and get an emergency portkey back home. Tell Remus what is going on and get him and Ginny back here as soon as possible! Okay, mate?"

"Yeah, yeah, I can do that! What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to hang around here and keep an eye on her. The bird behind the bar said that she's a waitress here, too, so I don't think I have to worry about her taking off before we can get help back here. I'll do whatever I can to work on a way of getting her out of here with us."

"Alright! Good Luck." Harry turned to start his hunt for the other two Aurors when he turned back around with a smile beaming across his face and looking back toward the stage one more time. "It's really her, mate! I can't believe it's really her."

"You and me both." Ron smiled the brightest smile he had in the last five years. "Now go!" And with that, Harry was off to do his part of their most important mission ever….Operation Remember!

'----------

She didn't know what it was about him, but Hermione couldn't seem to keep from continually focusing on that gorgeous redhead that appeared to be just as enamored with her as she was with him. Well, at least he had until up to a few minutes ago. Now, as she was finishing up her last song of the evening, she noticed that he had moved a little deeper into the room and seemed to be having a very intense conversation with another man.

As she stood smiling back at the now applauding crowd, she couldn't help but think that maybe she'd try real hard to give the red haired stud in her dreams those glistening, bright eyes that this stranger had fixed on her with so much admiration. _'Hmm, maybe Mr. Mysterious would be interested in making that particular dream of mine come true!'_ Hermione stifled a chuckle. _'As if that's going to happen! Knowing my luck, the other man is his boyfriend!'_

Hermione gave a little wave to the crowd as she descended the stage and heard Joe announce that the band would be taking a ten-minute break. She stopped by Mark's table to ask what he had thought of her performance.

Mark playfully pulled Hermione onto his lap and said, "I thought you were brilliant as usual. I especially liked the way you were undressing that red-headed stallion over by the bar with your eyes!"

Hermione immediately turned beet red before she smacked him on the arm and exasperatedly said, "Oh, honestly!"

She quickly removed herself from the lap of her laughing friend just as Joe approached the table wearing a shit-eating grin. "I don't want to hear it from you either!" She pointed her finger at the drummer. "You both are just so…so…oh forget it! I need to get back to work."

She walked away trying her best to look upset, but all three of them knew she was just frustrated and embarrassed. She had just about made it to the bar when both Joe and Mark shouted, "We love you, Randi!"

She shut her eyes and cringed at that awful, awful nickname Joe insisted on using for her. For a long time, she told him that he just didn't understand what that name implied where she came from. Each time he told her that he knew exactly what it implied. She finally gave up trying to convince him not to use it.

She took a deep breath and opened her eyes so that she could continue to the bar but found they were now focused on the expanse of a rather broad chest covered in black cotton. Her eyes traveled slowly up the chest to finally rest on the face that she had been drawn to only minutes ago.

Holding her breath, she searched her mind for anything to say, but she couldn't seem to string two words together into anything coherent. When the stranger smiled at her, she thought she may actually drop dead right there on the spot, and then when he spoke, she thought that she had died and gone to heaven.

"They really don't get it, do they?" His voice was deep and he was clearly British. He gave Hermione the most adorable crooked grin that she couldn't help but think looked vaguely familiar.

Suddenly what he had said sank in, and she just looked at him completely confused as to what he was talking about. "Huh?"

"These silly Americans. They might as well just call you Desperate for a Shag, eh?"

Hermione's eyes went wide. _'Oh my. He did not just say that, did he?'_ At that point she couldn't help herself. She burst out laughing harder than she had in a long time. "No. They don't get it at all, and, trust me, I've tried repeatedly to explain it to them."

The stranger continued to smile at her as if she was the most beautiful sight that he'd ever seen. Normally men looking at her this way made Hermione very uncomfortable, but now, with this man, she felt almost…loved. She quickly shook off that feeling. She smiled back at the man, extended her hand and said, "Miranda Chase."

Hermione noticed that the man's smile faltered slightly, but then took her hand in his and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miranda Chase. I'm Ronald Weasley, but please call me Ron." He kept holding onto her hand and couldn't seem to take his eyes off of hers. "Can I buy you a drink?"

Hermione's stomach filled completely with the proverbial butterflies, and she began to feel the blush creeping up her neck. "Actually, I can't. I'm still kinda working…waiting tables, you know."

"Oh, yeah. Sorry." The stranger, Ron, looked quite crest-fallen.

"My shift ends in thirty minutes. If you don't mind waiting, we could go across the street to the diner and grab a cup of coffee then." She waited on baited breath for him to answer.

"Love to!"

Hermione couldn't believe that she was not only going to be going out for coffee with a complete stranger, but in essence, she had asked him out. _'But there's just something so, oh, I don't know, just so…about this guy.'_

"Okay. I'll hunt you down when my shift ends."

Ron nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, I'll wait around here for you."

"Alright then."

They both just stood there smiling and staring at each other. Suddenly Hermione was pulled back to reality by the sound of Mark shouting, "Excuse me! Can I get some service over here?"

Hermione reluctantly removed her hand from Ron's and said, "I won't be too long. Thanks for waiting." Then she turned back toward the table that held Mark, Joe and the rest of the band. She was so going to kill Mark!

'----------

As Hermione walked away, Ron said under his breath, "I've always waited for you, love."

He turned to go find an empty seat at the end of the bar to wait patiently for his one and only. _'You've waited five long years, what's thirty more minutes, right? Plus, remember that Lupin said that the first thing to remember when we found her was to come on subtle as to not frighten or overwhelm Hermione.'_

He found a seat, ordered another bottle of beer, and began his short wait until his life began again. _'Oh, please, let Harry get back soon with Remus so we can get Hermoine back home where she belongs.'_

As he sat drinking his beer, picking at the label on the bottle, and watching Hermione work her way around the bar, the thought never occurred to him that maybe she **was** already where she belonged.

'------------

A/N – The song that Hermione sings in this chapter is Leann Rimes' _Please Remember_ from the Coyote Ugly soundtrack. When I first began this story, I had a completely different song in mind for her to be singing as a "sign" to Ron. I had completely forgotten about the Leann Rimes song until just this past week as I was searching through my CDs for something different to listen to on my two hour round trip to work each day. I couldn't believe how perfectly the song fit the story and how much it inspired me with this chapter.

Also, when Ron is talking about how they might as well call Hermione "Desperate for a Shag" when they call her Randi, was borrowed from a season six episode of _Buffy, The Vampire Slayer_ where one of Willow's spells goes wrong causing the whole gang to loose all their memories ultimately forgetting who they are and Spike comes under the impression that he is Giles' son, Randy.

Also, once again thank you to everyone that has reviewed! Being a newbie to writing and posting fan fic, you have been extremely encouraging! For those that voiced some concerns with Mark, just remember that if Harry Potter has taught us nothing else it is that things aren't always what they seem to be. In the next couple of chapters we'll learn a lot more about Mark, and Daniel and Emma will finally make an appearance.

Reviews not only welcomed….they're encouraged!


	4. Chapter 3 Natural Born Lovers

**Please Remember Me**

Disclaimer : The _Harry Potter _characters in this story belong to J.K. Rowling. Many thanks to her for letting them roam about in the world I created for a bit.

Sorry for the delay! As it tends to happen, life in general kept me busy and when I was finally ready to start this chapter my muse and I were apparently not on speaking terms. Thankfully, I'm apparently back in her good graces againso I was able to get the next installment to my little story out. Hopefully, there won't be such a long gap between this Chapter and the Next.

As always, thank you sooooooooooo much for your reviews! I'm glad someone liked me even when my muse didn't. )

CHAPTER 3 – Natural Born Lovers

Hermione checked her watch for what felt like the hundredth time in the past thirty minutes. It was almost 12:45. In just a matter of moments, she'd be finished with her shift, and she'd be on her way to have coffee with Ronald, the redheaded British god who had caught her eye about forty-five minutes ago.

She checked her watch again, deciding that it was close enough for her to leave. After all, her shift had officially ended fifteen minutes ago, but on the nights she sang, Hermione liked to work over fifteen minutes to make up for her time on stage. Gary, her boss, had said that it really wasn't necessary, but she insisted. Tonight was the first night that she truly regretted being so damn stubborn.

Hermione walked in front of the stage, winking at Joe as she made her way to the table Mark was seated at. She sat down on his lap and leaned in close to his ear so he could hear her over the music.

"Hey, I'm going across the street for coffee. You don't need to wait on me."

Mark leaned in close to her ear this time and asked, "How are you going to get home? I didn't see your car out in the lot."

"Yeah, I rode in with Sabrina, and I just figured that I'd catch a ride home with you. Plans change." She winked at him. "I'll take a taxi."

Hermione knew she had been smiling like a fool the entire time, and she could see the battle waging behind Mark's eyes. She was sure that he could pick up on her giddiness, and she was hoping that it would win over the battle for him to be protective and protest the taxi ride.

"You know how I feel about you taking a cab so late."

Hermione sighed and her smile faltered slightly. Apparently it had been too much to ask for. "I'll be fine, Mark. I've taken a taxi this late loads of times and I've been fine. You know that I always call dispatch and request that Jai come pick me up." Hermione silently prayed that he'd give it a rest. She really didn't want her good mood killed by an argument with him.

"This is about the redhead, isn't it?" Hermione just smiled. "Miranda, do you really think this is a good idea? You don't know anything about this guy. He could be some sick weirdo who's only planning on raping and murdering you."

She just rolled her eyes. "Don't worry! I'm just going across the street for coffee. You can watch me walk over if you like. And you know that Officer Campbell is there every night between one and two, so if I start to pick up some weird vibe from this guy, I'll just ask the policeman to drive me home."

She paused for a moment and fiddled with a piece of lint on Mark's shoulder. "Plus, there's just something about this guy that tells me that he's alright. Just call it my woman's intuition."

Mark pulled back to look at her skeptically. "Well, if you're sure. Have a good time. You deserve it."

Hermione squealed with delight and smiled bigger than she had all night, if that was even possible. She gave Mark a chaste kiss before she bounced off his lap, saying "don't wait up," before heading to the room behind the bar to retrieve her bag.

'This is it! Mark's right…I do deserve to have some fun. Intuition don't let me down now!'

----------

Ron drank his beer slowly. He had paid more attention to Hermione than he had his drink. He still was fighting a plethora of emotions at finally finding her, but he worked hard to keep elation at the forefront. He knew he was probably grinning like some daft git, but he didn't care.

He assumed that he had sat the entire thirty minutes with the dumb look on his face and wondered how he was going to be able to keep from gawking foolishly at Hermione while they had coffee. However, the smile was wiped from his face when he saw her plop down onto another bloke's lap and lean in close to speak to him in a way that Ron thought looked awfully intimate.

Ron's heart sank. It never occurred to him to prepare for that fact that the love of his life could possibly have a boyfriend in this life that she had been lost in. _'Or worse, a husband!'_ He had never thought that she would find someone else. How could've he been so stupid? Of course, she'd have no reason not to date. She'd have no memory of Ron, let alone any of how she felt about him. _'And look at her. She's dead gorgeous. You expect that blokes wouldn't have noticed her?'_

Ron's mood was further soured when he saw her give this other man a kiss before heading behind the bar and out of sight. He closed his eyes and attempted to swallow the lump that had unfortunately formed in his throat.

He suddenly felt someone place their hand on his shoulder and say, "Hey, mate."

"Harry!" Ron spun around quickly to face his friend. "What are you doing back so soon? I expected you to be gone at least a couple of hours. Where's Lupin and Ginny?"

"Full moon."

"Bloody hell! I hadn't even paid any attention. What do we do now?"

"Well since only four people were present during the spell to know the incantations and two of them are dead, one's had her memory erased and the last is recovering from his transformation last night, I'd say we wait."

"Dammit!" Ron pounded his fist on the bar as he swore.

"Hey, this works out for the best anyway." Ron shot Harry a piercing look as if to ask what the hell he was talking about. "Look, I flooed Gin from the Portkey Office waiting on my return and she said that the potion needed to fill the special Pensive takes 72 hours to brew anyway. At least we know where she is now; we just have to play it cool and everything will be alright."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. It's just been so long, and I don't know how much longer I can wait until I have her, the real her, back."

"Don't worry. It'll happen soon enough."

"What'll happen?"

Both men jumped at the sound of Hermione's voice coming from behind Harry. Ron jumped up off the bar stool quickly, almost losing his balance, and Harry spun around so fast that he almost made himself dizzy. In unison both men said, "What?"

Hermione blushed and looked at her hands a moment. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry. I just happened to catch that last statement as I walked up and my curiosity got the best of me."

Ron quickly stepped up next to her and put his hand on the small of her back. "No problem, love. It's just boring work-related prattle." Ron silently chastised himself for the endearment, but Hermione seemed unaffected by it. "Miranda Chase, I'd like you to meet my co-worker, best mate and favorite brother-in-law, Harry Potter."

Harry extended his hand toward Hermione, smiling, and said, "I'm your only brother-in-law!" This elicited a smile from Hermione and Harry simply smiled back even bigger. "Pleasure to meet you, Ms. Chase."

"Please, call me Miranda. It's very nice to meet you Harry Potter."

Ron watched Hermione smiling at Harry as she shook his hand. _'Oh, Merlin, how I've missed that smile!'_ Then the smile was directed toward him and he felt his heart leap for joy.

"Are you ready?"

Ron couldn't seem to lose the look of excitement that he knew had to be plastered over his face. He was acting like a ruddy lovesick teenager! "Ready when you are!"

"Going somewhere?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"Just across the street to get some coffee." Ron answered. Then a thought occurred to him and he quickly reached into his trouser pocked and wrapped his hand around the shrunken Honda Valkyrie Rune. He never traveled without it even though most of the time he was traveling it spent its time in its miniature state.

Ron quickly extended the hand holding the cycle toward Harry to shake his hand before he left the bar with Hermione. Harry looked slightly confused at first, but once he grasped Ron's hand, Ron saw understanding flash in his friend's eyes.

"Now, mate. You know I don't mind it at all if you want to borrow my bike, just remember to park it out front when you get back."

Harry smiled knowingly at Ron, which eased Ron's nerves, because this was the indication that Ron was looking for that Harry understood what he needed to do. "Yeah, I think I might take it out for a quick ride before I head back to the hotel. I'll see you later then." With that, Harry turned and left the bar.

Ron turned his attention back to Hermione, who was watching Ron with much interest. He smiled then offered his arm to her and said, "Shall we?"

Hermione gratefully took Ron's arm and they exited the bar. Just as they approached the street to cross, a car came speeding around the corner nearly hitting them both. Luckily, Ron and his Auror-enhanced reflexes pulled Hermione back just in time.

"Asshole! Watch where you're bloody going!" Hermione shouted toward the car that was now clearly out of earshot.

Ron just stared, dumbfounded, at Hermione. She started to cross the street but Ron didn't budge. She stepped back on the sidewalk and asked, "What?"

"You swore!"

Hermione giggled at the absurdity of his remark and replied, "Yeah. Sorry if I offended you."

"No. It's not that. You don't swear. I mean you just don't look like you'd be the type of person who'd swear."

"Oh, really? And exactly what type of person do I look like I should be?"

It was Ron's turn to chuckle at the absurdity he found in her question. "Well, a prim and proper, know-it-all, bookworm, of course."

Hermione let out quite a hardy laugh and said, "You couldn't be any further off, Mr. Weasley! I really hope that your job doesn't require you to make such assumptions about people or you'll be going hungry." She shook her head and attempted unsuccessfully to hide her smile before grabbing his arm once again and saying, "Come on, let's go."

----------

An hour and two pots of coffee later, Hermione still couldn't believe that she had found someone that she clicked with so well. They were so completely different, but she couldn't help but feel an indescribable connection to this man she had met not even two hours ago. Her friend, Sabrina, always talked about soul mates and rubbish like that. Hermione had always thought that the concept was just that, rubbish. Now she was beginning to wonder. She had never, to her knowledge, ever felt so attracted physically and emotionally to anyone as much as she was now toward Ron.

In the time they spent together in the diner, Hermione had learned that, unlike her, he came from a very large family with five older brothers (two of which were twins) and one sister who was younger. She learned that he, too, was no stranger to grief, because one of his twin brothers, his second oldest brother, his oldest brother's wife, and his other twin brother's fiancée had been killed in a horrible accident. However, he chose not to elaborate on the matter at all.

He had spent a lot of time telling her about each of his siblings. He spoke of each with great respect that made Hermione regret the fact that she was an only child. She had found the story about how he had asked his future sister-in-law to a school dance when he was fourteen years old particularly funny. She also took note of the fact that his eyes held as much sadness for the brother that was estranged from the family as for those whom had been killed.

She had also learned that he had known his best friend, Harry, since they were eleven and that they had both attended the same boarding school where they managed to get into a lot of mischief together; however, he didn't elaborate much on that subject either. Ron did share an enthusiastic story about his sister and Harry's relationship: they had been married almost two years and they were expecting their first child in three months or so.

For her part, Hermione had told him about growing up an only child and about the private school she attended back in London and how proud her parents had been when she had graduated at the top of her class. She also talked about the classes she was currently attending for her law degree and how different they were from any class she had attended back home. When he asked what had brought her to the United States, she had briefly told Ron about her parents accident and about moving almost five years ago to Salem to live with her Auntie and Uncle.

Ron had just finished telling her about how much he was missing his mother's cooking when she realized that he hadn't told her what kind of work he did.

"So, what exactly is it that you and Harry do and what brought you to the States?"

"We work in a special branch of law enforcement for the Ministry. The squad we are in now is a lot like a group of bounty hunters. We hunt down criminals who have really done some heinous things."

"Oh, so is that what has brought you to Boston?"

"Yes. We tracked our latest prisoner almost two weeks ago to New York City and finally caught up with him yesterday here in Boston."

"Wow. Sounds exciting but like it could be rather dangerous."

"Can be, but Harry and I are the best! This time we were in charge so we could pick the best from the rest. It only gets really dangerous when we get stuck with complete idiots."

"And you're not the least bit conceited, are you?" She gave Ron a mischievous smile then winked at him. "You know, you'd probably get along rather well with my friend, Mark. He works in law enforcement as well. He helps with crime scene investigation, you know, collection of evidence and all that. I'm not completely sure what he does because he really doesn't like to talk much about work and I don't push the subject."

"Mark, huh? He wouldn't by chance be the bloke whose lap you were sitting in just before you met up with me, would he?"

Hermione was quite touched, by not only the hint of jealousy that shown in her companion's eyes and the condescending tone in his voice, but she was also moved that he was obviously attracted enough to keep tabs on her while she had finished up her shift. It really was amazingly sweet.

"Why, Mr. Weasley, surely you aren't jealous?" she asked very coyly.

Ron's ears immediately turned red from embarrassment and he looked down at his hands that were currently wrapped around his coffee mug. Hermione thought that he looked absolutely adorable.

She smiled and reached across the table to lay her hand on his forearm. Ron's eyes shot back up to meet hers. She patted his arm slightly and said, "No worries. You're more his type than I am."

"Oh," was all that Ron said in reply and it was said almost thoughtlessly and quite distantly. When Hermione's statement had apparently sunk in, his eyes went wide and he said, "OH!" as he chuckled nervously.

Hermione just grinned back at him. _'My goodness, am I ever going to stop smiling like a fool?'_ Her heart fluttered as she saw his eyes light up in what could only be labeled excitement. She had a very good feeling that Ronald was quite relieved at hearing that her friend had no romantic interest in her.

"Mark and I have a relationship that's a little hard to define." Hermione stated as she removed her hand from Ron's arm and sat back in her seat.

"Well give it a shot. Tell me about this bloke."

"Hmm. I met Mark not quite three years ago. He was a _'friend'_ of my cousin, Jarrod. They actually went to the same private school, and the summer before my cousin was to leave for college, Mark came to spend the summer with us. We instantly hit it off. We liked the same movies, music and books, and we could talk non-stop for hours. Many times, when everyone else had gone to bed, we'd stay up just talking until the early morning hours.

"I was going through some pretty tough stuff, relationship wise. I had gone through my sixth boyfriend since moving in with my Aunt and Uncle, none of which were anywhere near serious relationships. I was also still having a rather rough time with my parents' deaths. Mark was extremely supportive and he helped hold me together when I would've swore that I was falling apart."

"Before leaving for school in Arizona, my cousin had told Mark that he didn't think a long distance relationship would work out and that they should both start seeing other people. Needless to say, Mark was devastated. I was able to return the favor of comfort and being supportive."

"Eventually, he realized that he couldn't live without me and he moved me into his house just outside the city." Hermione chuckled at her and Mark's inside joke and hoped that Ron would see that she was embellishing the truth quite a bit.

"So he couldn't live without you, huh? I've heard blokes use that line before. I've also heard of them pretending to be poofs to get into a woman's _'good graces'_ if you know what I mean. Are you sure there's nothing between you two?" Hermione was surprised that he was being so forward with the question, but she was also relieved to hear that there was no animosity in his voice. His tone was much like the tone that Mark used in his playful banter.

"Well you know." Hermione answered and once again winked at Ron. "Honestly, though, we do live together. Mark and I have been everything to one another except lovers, but we are both perfectly content with that, and thankfully, Mark's boyfriend, Joe, is perfectly content with that as well."

"Yeah, but what have the other men you've dated thought about this relationship?"

Hermione blushed slightly and cast a downward glance before answering, "There haven't been any other men since Mark and I became friends." Even though her sight was fixed on a spot in the middle of the table, Hermione could still see the look of panic in her new friend's eyes so she thought it was best if she elaborated. "It's not what you're thinking. There hasn't been anyone else since Mark came into my life because I haven't found what I've been looking for. One of the first things he told me when we would discuss my failed relationships was that I was obviously searching for something specific in a man or from a relationship and that my other endeavors had failed because these men did not possess the quality I was looking for. Since then I just started looking for the quality a little harder before I started accepting dates."

"And this quality is something that I possess?" Ron asked hesistantly.

Hermione turned a deeper shade of pink. "Perhaps." Hermione willed herself to calm down and looked up to meet Ron's eyes. They took her breath away. Those eyes…she knew those eyes…and the look in them. In that moment she felt something wash over her that she hadn't felt with those six poor guys who had attempted to date her years ago or any who had attempted since. _'Desire. Lust. Intense Need. That's what you're feeling. Everything you've been looking for is right there in front of you and you can feel it…Oh, dear lord, please help me!'_

----------

Ron was completely entranced. Just seconds ago Hermione had locked eyes with him after proclaiming that he may have what she had been looking for, for years, and now all he could see in her eyes was want. He knew that was what she was feeling because that was the same look that she'd had in her eyes so many years ago when she had looked into his eyes and asked him to make love to her for the first time. If he allowed his guard to drop at this moment, he'd be in tears within nanoseconds. It took every ounce of restraint he had to not jump across the table and pull her into his embrace before proclaiming his undying love for her and demanding that she remember how much she loved him in return.

The waitress clearing her throat and asking if they would like another pot of coffee pulled the pair from their trances in each other's eyes. Ron shook his head as if to clear it of cobwebs and looked to Hermione for the answer.

"I'm good. How about you?" She asked.

"We're okay here, but thank you," he answered the waitress.

Both were staring into their nearly empty cups, when Hermione broke the silence. "You know, I really should think about calling the cab so I can get home before Mark goes spar."

"A cab. You mean you don't have a vehicle of your own?"

"I do, but I didn't drive in tonight. I caught a ride with a friend of mine 'cause I just assumed that I'd be riding home with Mark. Parking is kind of tight, so I don't like bringing the car if I don't have to."

"Are you sure you should be taking a taxi this late?"

Hermione chuckled and smiled at Ron. He couldn't help but think that he would never grow tired of seeing that smile.

"You're as bad as Mark. Really, I'll be fine." She was reaching for her bag when Ron placed his arm on hers to stop her movement.

'_You cannot let her out of your sights yet…do something to stall!'_ Ron ran his hand down her forearm and grabbed hold of her hand noticing that she inhaled suddenly and closed her eyes for just a quick moment.

"Let me drive you home." Ron could see the uncertainty in her eyes. He was glad that she wasn't so willing to be coerced by a stranger, but at the same time he couldn't help but think _'But I'm not a stranger.'_

"Please. It would make me feel better knowing that I got you home safely instead of watching you pull away in a taxi with only Merlin knows who, especially since I'm the reason you didn't have a safe ride home tonight."

Ron couldn't help but think over and over _'oh, please, let her accept'_ while he waited for her response. He could see the silent debate in her eyes but at the same time she looked as if she was confused about something.

"Merlin?" she asked with a small laugh.

Ron immediately realized that he had slipped up, big time. He just threw her his famous lopsided grin and shrugged. He was relieved when she just shook her head and laughed. Ron ran his thumb gently over the back of her hand, further distracting her from his slip of the tongue. Apparently that small act was all she needed to forget that he had said something that clearly made no sense to her and was what she needed to make her decision.

"Alright, then. I don't want you worrying yourself or Merlin sick over my safety," she replied playfully.

He just laughed, took her hand and led her to the door. Neither one noticing how giddy the other one was.

----------

Ron wasn't sure how he managed to keep his composure on the ride to Hermione's place. His body tingled everywhere her body was pressed against his. It was all he could do to concentrate on her directions as she gave them with her mouth very near his ear. He kept reminding himself that he needed to exercise restraint and he was doing a fairly good job.

When they pulled up in front of Mark's two-story suburban home, Hermione had instructed him to pull into the driveway and up to the door in the fence that surrounded the backyard. When he stopped, he shut the motor off and it was merely seconds until he was feeling the loss of contact when she got off the motorcycle.

"Thank you very much for the ride. It was much more pleasurable than a taxi." Even in the dark, Ron could make out a bit of a blush creeping up her cheeks.

"You're very welcome. It was a pleasure to meet you, Miranda Chase." Everything in Ron's body was telling him to get off this bike and snog her senseless, but once again, he was maintaining his restraint remarkably.

"The same to you, Ronald Weasley."

Ron watched as she walked to the door in the privacy fence and stopped, her hand on the latch, as if contemplating something she wanted to say. Ron couldn't help but smiled because he knew that even though he was looking at the back of her head, she most definitely had to be chewing on her lower lip just as she had back at Hogwarts when she was contemplating a tough question.

When she turned to speak to him, she didn't disappoint him. "Would you like to come in a bit? After all that coffee, I'm really not all that tired."

Ron didn't answer. He simply smiled before dismounting the bike. He noticed that she had stood awaiting him to join her. He was surprised when she didn't move but stood staring up at him as he approached. _'There's that look in her eyes again. Maybe its time to take a risk.'_

"Exactly what did you have in mind to pass the time, Ms. Chase?" Ron asked looking deep into her eyes with his voice low and husky.

This time it was Hermione's turn to answer non-verbally. Ron was totally shocked when she quickly reached up, laced her fingers in his hair and pulled his mouth to hers. His last coherent thought was _'Bloody Hell!'_


	5. Chapter 4 Nothing Else Matters

**Please Remember Me**

Disclaimer : The _Harry Potter _characters in this story belong to J.K. Rowling. Many thanks to her for letting them roam about in the world I created for a bit.

As always, thank you sooooooooooo much for your reviews!

CHAPTER 4 – Nothing Else Matters

"Exactly what did you have in mind to pass the time, Ms. Chase?"

A million thoughts ran through Hermione's head. The answers to Ron's question were limitless; however, she knew exactly what she wanted to do. As a matter of fact, she wanted it more right now and with Ron than she could ever remember. In their short time together, Hermione had learned enough about this gentleman to know that he was respectful. So by asking her what she wanted to do, he had given her an open invitation; she just needed to act on it.

And act, she did!

Hermione couldn't begin to explain what had possessed her to kiss her companion, nor could she explain how she felt when he kissed her back with just as much passion as she was feeling. She most definitely couldn't explain how she had ended up in the backyard, pressed between the privacy fence and Ron's body with her legs wrapped around his waist; their tongues battling for dominance. She just didn't normally act like this.

She broke the kiss, panting heavily, trying desperately to fill her lungs with much needed air. Ron, apparently not as needful of air, continued kissing her jaw down to her neck. As her head started to lose some of its lust-induced haze, she felt an overwhelming need to explain that this behavior was **not** normal for her.

With Ron still worshipping her neck, she whispered into his ear, "I normally don't do this."

He chuckled against her skin and said, "What? And here I thought that everyone in the States shagged outdoors."

Hermione couldn't help it; she began laughing. This was not the type of situation one liked to get a case of the giggles during. However, the laugh quickly turned to a moan as Ron's hands started kneading her bum.

"No, I…I mean…I don't usually bring guys home from the bar, and I definitely don't ravage them in my backyard."

Ron stopped his assault on her neck and bum and looked her in the eyes. "That's good to know." He kissed her gently and pulled away before she could deepen the kiss. "And for the record, I normally don't do this either."

Hermione's heart melted. Looking into his eyes, she could tell that Ron was telling her the truth and not just some line to seal the deal of getting into her knickers. Still gripping his shoulder with one hand, she ran the other through the fringe across his forehead. They stayed there staring into each other's eyes for several seconds, and Hermione suddenly felt the intense need to tell him that she loved him.

She mentally slapped herself. _'Get a grip, girl! You've known this guy for, what, five seconds. It's not love you're feeling; it's lust! That's it. You want him and you can feel how much he wants you. Lust! Nothing more than lust!'_

Deciding that she needed to step away from the situation for a moment before she said something that she'd surely regret, Hermione unwrapped her legs and slid down Ron's hard body. She slid out from between him and the fence wall, grabbed her bag and his hand, and said, "Come on."

She managed to lead him across the yard and up the steps of the back porch before Ron attacked her neck once more from behind her. Throwing caution to the wind again, she dropped her bag and turned so that within seconds his mouth was crashing down on hers.

She moaned into his mouth as he once again lifted her up by her bum and pressed her against the outer wall of the house. As before, her legs wrapped around his waist, pulling his groin in closer contact with her. Their kisses turned desperate and Ron started thrusting his pelvis against hers.

Again when she surfaced for air, he worked his way down her neck, but this time he didn't stop there. Before she even had time to register a thought about what he was doing to her shirt, Ron had pulled down the front of her cotton tank top, pushed aside her bra and had taken one of her hardened nipples into his mouth.

Immediately her hands were in his hair, holding his head there as she bucked against him. She moaned, "Oh, god, Ron!"

She was rewarded with a more enthusiastic thrust from the redhead and a moan against her skin.

"Mmm, Hermione."

Her eyes shot wide open. It was as if her blood had suddenly turned to ice and all the air had been sucked from her lungs. _'Oh, dear lord, no. That couldn't have been what he said.' _Her fight or flight instinct kicked in and before Ron could've possibly known what was happening, Hermione had untangled herself from him and pushed him away from her. She knew the look on her face must have been horrifying because she saw Ron flinch.

"Get away from me." The statement was strong but Hermione said it in an eerily calm and normal voice.

Ron looked dumbfounded. "Miranda, love, what's wrong?" he asked cautiously as he took a step toward her.

This time the statement was anything but calm when Hermione screamed, "Get away!"

She had put her hands up to push away at his shoulders as she screamed but felt an odd sensation run through her. As the words left her mouth, Ron went flying back, over the porch railing and landed on his arse in the backyard.

Hermione was terrified She couldn't make sense of anything that was happening. Tears were instantly flowing down her face and she quickly turned to the back door, grabbing her bag and fighting frantically to find her keys.

"Miranda." Ron's voice was low and slightly strained.

Hermione spun around, scared that he was approaching her again, but she was relieved to find that he was standing in the same spot he had landed on in the yard. Now he not only looked confused but heartbroken as well.

"Miranda, look I'm really sorry I pushed you or did something you didn't want me to do. I got a little carried away 'cause its been a really, really long time, but I'd never do anything to hurt you. I swear it! I'm so, so, so sorry." His voice was pleading and sounded as if he was holding back tears.

Hermione took a deep breath to try to calm herself. She closed her eyes to clear her head then looked Ron in the eyes and asked, "What did you say when you were… what did you call me?"

Still looking her in the eyes, Ron answered, "Love, I didn't say anything. I didn't call you anything. I moaned, that's all."

Hermione studied him closely, watching him plead using his eyes, hoping that she'd believe him. There was sincerity not only in his words but in his voice and facial features as well. She didn't think that there was anyway that he could possibly be lying.

_'Dear lord, woman! Get a grip on yourself. You start to finally get a little action from a very sexy man and you go mental.'_

Hermione sighed and closed her eyes once more to attempt to stop the tears that were still falling. When she opened them again, Ron hadn't moved and was still looking at her expectantly. She glanced down in her bag and saw her keys in the bottom corner. She grabbed them and proceeded to unlock the door before facing Ron once again.

"I'm sorry, Ronald. I…I…I think you should leave now." With that, she stepped through the doorway into the house, closed and locked the door behind her then fell to her knees on the kitchen floor and cried harder than she had in years.

'----------

Ron was fucked.

And, dear Merlin, it sure as hell wasn't the happy, fun way he was sure he was on his way to. No, he had really messed things up the moment he had become too engulfed in what he was doing and moaned her name.

_'Her real name, you stupid git!'_

For about a second he had hoped that he really hadn't said it aloud, and if he had, that she hadn't heard him. Unfortunately, he had been wrong on both accounts.

Ron knew that things were about to get very awkward when Hermione had disentangled herself from him and pushed him away. He had expected her to be furious and to ask why he had moaned another woman's name. However, he did not expect her to look utterly terrified when she told him to get away from her.

He had thought that he could diffuse the situation. Again, he had been terribly mistaken and then had been extremely shocked when she had apparently used wandless magic, unbeknownst to her, to expel him from the back steps and onto the dew dampened grass.

Thank goodness for his Auror training and his ability to lie effectively. He had never expected he'd have to use the skills on Hermione, but it had worked and she had calmed down. But, she had still asked him, no told him, to leave.

Standing in the driveway next to his motorcycle, Ron kicked at the air and screamed, "Dammit!" He was really starting to hate the Fates!

He stood contemplating for a moment whether he should just shrink the cycle and Apparate back to his and Harry's hotel room, or if he should go ahead and ride back into the city. When he remembered Harry telling him that they needed to play it cool and watch how they handled themselves in this situation, Ron opted to ride back. He hoped that the ride would clear his head a bit and that the extra time it took going about traveling the Muggle way would hopefully play in his favor and Harry would definitely be asleep when he arrived.

Ron diligently rubbed his face with his hands and sighed before mounting the Honda. "Harry is going to kill my sorry arse!" Ron said to no one before taking off.

'----------

With the events not too many hours before, Hermione was sure she'd have that awful nightmare of hers over and over again while she got what little sleep she could; however, when the morning dawned, she awoke from a dreamless sleep that she couldn't even remember falling into. As a matter of fact, the last thing she remembered was taking a few drinks of the tea that Mark had fixed for her after finding her in tears on the kitchen floor. _'It must've been some of that herbal tea of his that always calms me right down.'_

Hermione rolled over and stretched only to realize that she wasn't in the queen-size guest bed but was in Emma's twin bed. As she sat up and stretched again, she thought that it was odd that Mark had put her in Emma's room instead of the guest room at the end of the hall. She always slept in the guest room when Joe would stay the night. Despite herself, she smiled slightly as she thought that Mark had probably wanted to keep her close so that he could hear her if she awoke from the nightmare. Sometimes he was just too much like a mother hen.

Suddenly Hermione felt the chill of anxiety wash over her as she thought back to the night before. It terrified her to think that Ronald had actually called her "Hermione." As far as she knew, no one in the States knew her real name, not even Mark or the Chase family. Perhaps he had recognized her from back home. He had looked slightly familiar to her but he hadn't acted like they had met before. Perhaps he was part of the political family that had murdered her parents and he had finally found her to kill her too.

She fell back onto the bed and covered her face with her hands. _'No! You are not going to do this!'_ She had to tell herself again for about the thousandth time since collapsing on the floor downstairs that she was panicking for no reason. Ron had sincerely looked as if he had no idea what he had done or said to cause such a reaction from her. Hermione had learned a long time ago to read people's level of honesty by watching their eyes when they spoke. Ron hadn't been lying. _'That or he's highly effective at lying._'

Frustrated with herself, Hermione jumped out of the bed and quickly began making it. She knew that she was overreacting. She had panicked because she had started feeling things that she couldn't ever remember feeling before with a man. She had been willing to give herself over so easily to a stranger and her subconscious had took over and created an irrational fear caused by mistaking a moan as something that it wasn't.

Once the bed was made, Hermione stood in the center of the room, shut her eyes and took three deep breaths. When she opened them again, she headed downstairs to put on a pot of coffee and to make some toast. She needed to get on the road soon if she was going to make it to Salem and back by a decent time this afternoon. She had a lot of work to do for one of her classes and wanted to make sure to be back in Boston before their evening meal.

Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, Hermione felt another wave of anxiety hit her and she squashed it. She vowed to herself to give it a rest because the situation was over with and it wouldn't do her or anyone else any good if she dwelled on it. Taking one more calming breath, Hermione headed for the kitchen to begin her day as if the night before never happened.

'----------

Ron awoke "the morning after" to the sound of the shower running and Harry singing, rather badly, an old Muggle tune. The first thought to cross his mind was that he hoped beyond hope that last night had been a horrific nightmare. Of course, he had been ecstatic about finding Hermione but was less pleased about how he had buggered things up. When he rolled over onto his back to stretch and was greeted with pain along his backside, Ron knew that last night had been very real.

Happy with the longer reprieve he was getting from having to tell Harry how things had turned out, Ron lay staring at the bright white ceiling, running through the events that took place at Hermione's not many hours ago. He cursed himself for being so stupid to let his guard down. Once again, she had managed to turn him into a bumbling idiot who was destined to say exactly the wrong thing, even if it was just simply her name.

Hearing the water shut off, Ron decided he should get out of bed and prepare for the inevitable chat with Harry. Ron knew that the conversation was not one he wanted to have while in the confines of the bed. That would simply make him much too easy a target for Harry to hex. Ron rolled out of bed, wincing at the pain in his arse, stood and stretched once more.

As he stretched, Ron caught sight of a magenta-colored piece of parchment lying on the chest of drawers. He felt his stomach start to knot because he knew right away, even without looking, that it was an official notice from the Department of Aurors. Ron assumed that it had something to do with their capture of Thomas Defoe, one of the last few remaining Death Eaters at large, and he assumed that the letter was probably going to instruct him to do something he didn't plan on doing anytime in the near future. Ron had just reached for the parchment when Harry walked out of the loo.

"You may not want to read that, mate."

Ron chuckled and picked up the memo anyway. "Yeah, I kinda figured that."

He read:

_Omega Team – It pleases me to learn of the capture of fugitive Defoe. A portkey has been arranged for the team and your captive for ten o'clock local time on the morning of the eleventh at the Salem Portkey Authority Office. Be advised that upon return to the Ministry of Magic, team leaders are expected for debriefing. Their subordinates will accompany the captive to Azkaban. _

_Again, gentlemen and Ms. Rosenberg, congratulations on a job well done._

_Sincerely,_

_Kingsley Shacklebolt_

Ron sighed and placed the parchment back onto the dresser top. This was exactly what he was expecting. His boss wanted him and his team back in London within the next three hours. Ron looked at Harry with a defeated look and said, "Well, looks like they won't be letting me lead anymore missions anytime soon, mate."

Harry chuckled. "You know, somehow, I don't really think you're all that broken up about it either." Ron smiled. "Especially since you're in the good graces of our best mate once again. I've got a feeling that once we get her back her memories, you're not going to want to leave her sight."

Ron felt his smile fade and the dread that had momentarily left him returned with a vengeance. Harry apparently noticed the abrupt change in his friends features because his own smile faltered and he was standing there eying Ron very cautiously.

"Ron, what did you do?"

Ron, who had intended to stay on his feet to keep moving, threw himself into one of the comfortable chairs near the balcony door and buried his face in his hands. "Shite, Harry, I really fucked things up," Ron spoke through his fingers.

Harry sighed and threw himself into the chair next to Ron's. "She's been back in your life for less than twelve hours and you've already had a row."

"It wasn't a row, per se."

Harry just looked at him pointedly. Ron knew that there was no way of getting around it now, so he told his best mate what had happened between him and Hermione the night before. Ron was pleased that Harry didn't once try to hex him.

When Ron was finished, Harry sighed and said, "You know, Ginny's going to hex you into next year." Ron, who had been avoiding looking directly at Harry, stared at him completely confused. _'What the hell does Ginny have to do with any of this?' _

However, before Ron could voice the question, Harry answered it for him. "Especially when I tell her it was all your fault that I disobeyed a direct order to return to the Ministry so that I could stay behind and help you with the mess you had made with Hermione once again."

Ron suddenly felt horrid. "Harry, look. For me, nothing else matters besides Hermione. If I get sacked, I'll work something out 'cause I only have myself to worry about, for now. You've gotta think about Ginny and the baby."

"For starters, Shacklebolt isn't going to sack us. Especially not the great Harry Potter." Harry smirked and Ron glared at him. "We've looked so long for her, mate. I know how much you need her back in your and I'm not going anywhere until that's exactly where she is."

Ron looked down at his hand. "Thanks, mate. I really owe you one and trust me, I'll make sure that Ginny knows that it was completely my doing!"

Harry stood, clapped Ron and the shoulder and said, "You bet you will! Now, get yourself put together. We've got a house call to make in order to put Plan B into action."

"And exactly what is Plan B?"

"We go to her and tell her everything. It's our only shot now. She may not react very well to it, but if she's anything like her old self, she'll analyze all the information we give her and hopefully trust us."

Ron sighed once again and put his face into his hands. _'I hope Plan B works, because Plan C might end with me in Muggle prison for kidnapping.'_

'----------

Hermione sat at a traffic light waiting for it to turn green. She really hated driving, especially up to Salem on a Sunday morning, and it didn't help matters that she was already in a foul mood from the night before. She hadn't even made it completely out of the driveway, when she had broken the vow to herself to not dwell on the previous night's events.

Driving in the car, even though she hated it, was one of the few times that she could ever be truly alone and this gave her time to reflect on things. Today, it gave her time to reflect on how tired she was of her life not making any sense, and of strange things happening to her (_Just like sending Ron flying over the railing last night_.), but most of all she was tired of living a lie. She was tired of living as Miranda Chase.

Dammit! She was Hermione Granger and that's who she wanted to be again. She wanted to pack up Emma and Daniel and even Mark and Joe and move back to England. She was tired of being in the States. Even though she settled in fairly well, she was tired of everything being so strange. She was tired of feeling like she was missing out on something by being here in Boston and not back in London.

Basically, though, she was just plain tired. Her plate was definitely overflowing and she usually tried to keep her spirits up in front of everyone, which was absolutely exhausting. She didn't want to be one of those people that drug others down with them. The Chase's oldest daughter had been that way for the first year that Hermione lived with them and she swore she'd never do that to anyone. But here, alone in her car, she could lose "the happy face" and could be sarcastic and angry and just plain foul and let the fatigue take over for the forty minutes it took her to get to the Chase residence.

As the light turned green and she started on her way once again, Hermione turned up the radio to sing along with one of the songs she was working on learning herself for the band and tried to find that happy face in the last three blocks to her destination. She really hoped that she could keep her patience with the kids today.

'----------

Ron and Harry stood at the back door to the house that Hermione shared with that blonde bloke from the bar. They had been standing, Ron slightly in front of Harry, staring at the door for a good minute before Harry finally spoke up.

"You sure this is the place, mate?"

"I'm sure."

"Are you going to knock?"

"Yeah," Ron continued standing staring at the door.

"Today?"

Ron shot Harry an icy glare before he took a deep breath and knocked on the door and waited. And waited.

And waited.

Ron was just about to turn to Harry and suggest that they maybe try to meet up with her again at the pub, when he heard the latch on the door being unlocked. His stomach churned violently and he was pleading that he not get sick all over her when the door opened and he was greeted with the sight of the big, blonde man from the night before. _'Mark's his name, right?'_

"Is, er, Mira…"

Ron began but stopped short as Mark practically flew at him, knocking him back over the rail and once again on his arse. Ron scrambled to get to his feet and had just barely gotten there when Mark came bounding down the steps and toward him. Ron's natural instinct was to go for his wand, but thank goodness his wits were with him for once and he remembered that he was dealing with a Muggle. Ron ducked just in time to avoid his face making contact with the other bloke's fist.

"What the hell did you do to her, you bastard?" Ron was scared by the livid look in the other man's eyes and jumped back but not quick enough to miss getting hit the second time. The contact sent Ron falling to his hind side again.

"I found her on the floor in tears, asshole. So tell me what the fuck you did to her?" Mark was screaming and making another advance on Ron when Harry grabbed him from behind and attempted to stop the American's attacks. Luckily, Harry quickly got the upper hand and had pushed Mark to the ground away from Ron.

"Now, just settle down, mate!" Harry yelled at Mark. "You're not going to get any answers if you're pummeling him, now are you?"

All three men were now motionless except for breathing heavily. Ron was watching Mark very closely from his vantage point on the ground about fifteen meters away; Mark, who had also remained on the ground, was glaring between Harry and Ron; and Harry was bent over with his hands on his knees trying desperately to catch his breath. Ron knew that his mate would be complaining for hours now about being so out of shape.

Out of his peripheral vision, Ron saw Harry stand upright and run both his hands over his face and back through his hair as he often did when he was quite flustered. Ron was just about to look at his mate to silently apologize when he saw Mark's eyes go wide. Ron's brow furrowed as he watched the reaction of the man sitting on the ground across from him. Then his eyes went wide as well and Ron choked when he heard the man's next statement.

"Holy, shit! You're Harry Potter!"

A/N

As always, your reviews are not only welcomed...they're encouraged!

Also, I wanted to note that the next chapter is going to be a BIG one with lots of information about Mark and his relationship with "Miranda" as well as the introduction of Daniel and Emma and all that comes with that part of the story line. I'm also hoping to work in the initial explanation of the situation to Hermione. So in otherwords, this chapter is going to take some time and work and life in general the next couple of weeks is going to be pretty hectic. I'll work on the chapter as often as I can, but I wanted to let you all know that it may be a longer than normal before I can get it posted. Please, oh please, don't give up on me or my tale! I promise I'll make it worth the wait.

Happy Reading!


	6. Chapter 5 Who Am I? Part 1

**Please Remember Me**

Disclaimer : The _Harry Potter _characters in this story belong to J.K. Rowling. Many thanks to her for letting them roam about in the world I created for a bit.

As always, thank you sooooooooooo much for your reviews.

Also, thank you for being so patient in waiting for the latest update. I decided to split this chapter into two parts. Who Am I? Part One and Who Am I? Part Two. I had intended on it being one longer chapter that included the first explanation of "the situation" to Hermione. However, it took me so long to write the first part of this chapter, I didn't want to make the faithful fans of this little tale wait any longer. I hope to have Part Two written and posted within the next couple of days.

Hope it doesn't disappoint!

CHAPTER 5 – Who Am I? Part One

"Holy, shit! You're Harry Potter!" Mark exclaimed and quickly he was back on his feet and shaking Harry's hand profusely.

Ron remained seated on the ground staring at the scene in front of him, completely dumbfounded. _'Okay, how in the hell does this American Muggle know who the bloody hell Harry Potter is?'_

"Oh, man. It is such an honor to meet you." Mark was still shaking Harry's hand quite enthusiastically. "Just wait until the guys down at the Bureau hear that I actually got to meet _the_ Harry Potter, in the flesh and blood. They're never gonna believe it. Hell, I can't believe it. What are you doing here in Boston or is that classified? Wait, what are you doing _here_? Did the Bureau send you? By all means, Mr. Potter, anything you need, I'll be more than happy…"

"What the bloody hell is going on here?" Ron shouted, unable to sit by and watch this man ramble on. "And what the bloody hell is _the Bureau_?"

Both Harry and Mark stared at Ron. Harry had a look that clearly said '_What the hell is going on here, mate?_' written all over his face. Mark, on the other hand, was staring at Ron in that calculating way that Hermione had always reserved for very difficult Arithmacny problems. When the other man's eyes went wide, Ron knew that he had obviously came to a solution of some sort.

Suddenly, Mark was rushing toward him and pulling him to his feet. "Oh, god, I am so sorry. It didn't even register…I didn't even think…should've known with the red hair and all. You're Ron Weasley, aren't you?"

Still utterly confused by the events that were transpiring, all Ron could manage in response was "Yeah."

And then Mark was shaking Ron's hand profusely. "It is a pleasure, really, and, again, I am so sorry about attacking you. I tend to fly off the handle every now and then, especially where Miranda is concerned. She told me over and over again that the state I found her in very early this morning had nothing to do with you, but a guy can't help but wonder."

Mark stopped his rambling when Ron held a hand up in front of his face. "Who are you and what is the Bureau?" Ron fought to keep his tone neutral and his voice calm even though he was way past being irritated.

"Who am I?" Mark asked, then he laughed slightly while shaking his head. "Sorry about that. As you can see, I tend to ramble when I'm nervous, and well, meeting wizards as famous as yourselves, you can only imagine how nervous I am. Well, maybe you can't because I guess when you're famous you probably…"

Ron pointedly cleared his throat. _'Bloody, buggering hell. How did Hermione manage to spend the last year and a half living with this nutter?'_

Mark turned red from embarrassment but composed himself quickly. He once again stuck out his hand toward Ron, but this time in a much more professional manner. When Ron reluctantly took his hand, the other man shook it in a professional manner and said, "Special Agent Marcus Randall, but please call me Mark, and I'd prefer not to discuss the Bureau out here in the open."

"So you're a wizard?" Harry asked, obviously completely confused.

"Well, I thought that would be pretty obvious by now." Mark again smiled at Harry and Ron couldn't help but chuckle inside his head at how the look in Mark's eyes as he stared at Harry reminded him too much of how Colin Creevey had looked at Harry the entire time they were at Hogwarts. Ron was also pretty sure that this particular wizard was attempting to flirt with his best mate.

Harry, aware of this wizard's particular taste in partners, shifted quite nervously from one foot to the other before giving his response. "I'm sorry. It's just that we thought you were a Muggle. You could say we're thrown a little off guard, wouldn't you say, Ron?"

Ron could hear the nervous tone in Harry's voice but barely heard a word that he had said. There was only one thought that was running through his mind and he needed to voice it. "Does Hermione know?"

The look on Mark's face went from one of awe to one of confusion as he moved his focus from Harry to Ron. "Who?"

Ron took a minute to read Mark's eyes to see if he was truly confused or if it was an act he was putting on. After the reaction Ron had gotten from Hermione last night by saying her _real_ name, he was curious to see if this bloke knew who she really was, because Ron was under the impression that everything about her past had been removed or modified, including her name.

"Sorry. Miranda. Does Miranda know what you are?"

"No. Not at all. At one point and time, I thought she might be suspicious, but she is very adamant about such things as magic not existing."

Ron sighed and ran his hands over his face and through his hair. When it had become apparent that Hermione's housemate was a wizard, he had hoped that she would at least be aware of the magical world. _'That would've made explaining her situation so much easier.'_ But as it was, she was not aware of the existence of magic, nor did it appear by Mark's last comment that she was even willing to believe that it could even possibly exist.

Ron was just about to ask if they could see Hermione, but Harry beat him to it. "Hey, mate, is she here by chance?"

"No. Sorry. She drove up to Salem for the afternoon. Is that why you're here…to see Miranda?" Harry simply nodded in response so Mark continued. "Why? I mean I can understand why Auror Weasley would want to see her. I mean, they did go out for coffee last night. But I'm a little confused why _you_ want to see her?"

Ron was happy beyond words that Harry was the take-charge kind of guy and that Mark was so enamored with the raven haired man, because Ron really couldn't get past the fact that Hermione had went away for the afternoon. _'What if she doesn't come back? She looked so terrified last night. What if she decided to run? What if she really has all her memories and she's been living here all this time and was really happy and never intended on coming home? What if this bloke really isn't gay and him and Hermione shag like bunnies every night?' _Ron was pulled from his mental rant when he heard Harry mention his name.

"First of all, please call us Ron and Harry. Really, there is no need for formalities." Ron noticed that the look of awe had returned to Mark's eyes. "Second, why we both need to see Miranda is actually fairly complicated and not something we'd like to go into a lot of detail about standing in the middle of your lawn. I'm sure you can understand that."

Mark looked quite embarrassed as he smacked his forehead with his open palm and gestured toward the back door as he said, "Again, please forgive me. I understand completely and it seems that I have totally forgotten my manners. Please, come in. I'll put on some tea."

The three men made their way across the lawn and up the steps once again with the home's owner rambling continually once again about how honored he was to have met two men who was so well known by their kind. Ron, who was lingering behind, sighed and ran his hands through his hair once again. _'If this guy continues on like this for the entire afternoon, so help me Dumbledore, I'm going to hex him!'_

'----------

Less than five minutes later, the three men sat around Mark's kitchen table each sipping on a glass of Canadian Whiskey. When their host offered them something stronger than tea, Ron jumped at the chance for anything that would help to relax him a bit. He couldn't believe how much his life had began to spiral out of control in the last twenty-four hours. Ron was contemplating how to start the conversation, when Mark spoke up?

"Please forgive me if I just jump to the point. What do the two of you want with Miranda?

This time Ron was the one to answer the American. "Well, please forgive us, but we have a very delicate situation on our hands. It would probably make things a lot easier for us to explain if you filled us in on yourself a little more."

The request was a legitimate one. They did have a very delicate situation on their hands with the Hermione situation and it would definitely make things easier to explain to Mark if they had more background on him. After all, he and Harry were expecting to have to deal with a Muggle. However, Ron's reasons for wanting to find out more about this bloke were quite personal as well. He needed to know what he was up against here.

"Of course, I understand, and it's also the polite thing to do, given your status and all. Well, as we have already established, I'm a wizard. Nowhere near as great as either of you, but I believe that I hold my own amongst my peers here. Not only am I a wizard, but also my grandmother on my mother's side was a Seer and my grandmother on my father's side was an Empath. I was fortunate enough to inherit a bit of both of their abilities."

"Her…Miranda told me that you helped her through some tough times. You were using your Empathic powers, weren't you?" Ron interrupted.

"Yeah. She gets really distraught sometimes and she has this nightmare that really freaks her out. It's just natural to want to make her feel better. It's funny, you know. She's the only one I've ever deliberately used those particular powers on. I guess it's because her misery seems to be something that she struggles with because she just can't understand completely what is making her some miserable at times."

For the first time since sitting down, Harry spoke up. "So what is this Bureau you kept referring to outside?"

"Ah, yes. That would be the Bureau of Magical Intelligence. We are a highly exclusive group that investigates occurrences that the United States Department of Aurors can't explain. Among our community, the Bureau is much of a myth or urban legend. There are only an elite few of American wizards that truly know of its existence. All of us are highly talented in our field of expertise, but each of us live like Muggles with the appearance of denouncing the Wizarding Community so not to be recruited by departments in our Wizarding government."

"So the Chase family is a Wizarding family?" Both Mark and Harry gave Ron a questioning look.

Mark chuckled a bit. "Miranda must have told you that I went to private school with their son, Jarrod?" Ron simply nodded his head. "Actually, Mark was the first wizard to be born in their family for five generations. You can imagine the family's shock and excitement. However, Mr. Chase works in Massachusetts state government, so they didn't really advertise that Jarrod was special. That's why Miranda doesn't have any idea what I really am."

"I guess I'm still confused as to how you know Ron and myself?"

Again Mark chuckled before answering Harry's question. "Please! You're the Boy Who Lived, twice, and Ron's not only your best friend, he was also key in the defeat of the greatest evil our people has ever seen."

This time both Ron and Harry had to laugh softly. It had been more than two years since anyone had referred to Harry as the "Boy Who Lived," so it was quite amusing to hear the name being used again. Ron knew that Harry was legendary for all wizards, just not those in England; however, he was a little surprised that Americans would know who he was. Deciding that they really needed to just throw everything out there, Ron took a huge leap of faith and asked the one question that he knew by the look on Harry's face that his best mate was itching to ask as well.

"So, Mark. You know about Harry and myself. You ever hear anything about a witch named Hermione Granger?"

"Of course. Many of the tales told about the great adventures of Harry Potter that led to the defeat of Lord Voldemort, includes mentions of his two best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. I had heard though, that she and her parents were killed several years back by followers of the Great Evil One himself."

Ron's heart began to beat a little faster. _'Okay, so at least he has heard about Hermione. Hopefully that fact will help in what I'm about to tell him.'_ Ron took a deep breath and was about to start when Harry spoke up.

"That is partially correct. At the end of our sixth year at Hogwarts, Hermione's parents were attacked in their home on the day we were returning home for the summer. Her parents were murdered and her home was destroyed."

"So what happened to her?"

This time Ron was quick to answer, not allowing Harry time to start beating around the bush as he tended to like to do in delicate, critical situations like this one. "She was pinpointed to be the next target, so upon her agreement, her memories were removed and modified. She was then removed from the country and placed in a safe house. However, her secret keeper and the only person to know where she was placed was killed in battle before Voldemort was defeated. We hadn't seen her for nearly five years."

Mark gasped and said, "Oh, that is so horrible…the only person who knew where she was killed in battle…how tragic. But you said that you hadn't seen her in nearly five years. I'm assuming you have since found her."

Ron took a deep breath before answering, "Yeah, I had coffee with her last night."

Ron and Harry both watched Mark as the statement sunk in. Suddenly his eyes went wide and he practically screamed, "You have got to be kidding me! Miranda is a witch. No wait! Miranda's not even Miranda, she's _the_ Hermione Granger. I've been living nearly two years with the smartest witch of our generation and I didn't even know it."

"Well, mate, don't worry because she doesn't even know it. At least we were under the assumption that she had every memory of who she was taken from her or modified. However, last night when her and I were…well, we were…"

Ron couldn't believe that he was a grown man who was sitting here blushing and stammering while trying to state that he had snogged the love of his life.

"We were, you know, and I was really into it and didn't even think about what I was doing and I kind of whispered her name…Hermione. She completely freaked out then and I was expecting her to get upset because I had said another bird's name while I was snogging her senseless (Ron couldn't believe that he had just put it so bluntly), but she wasn't mad, she appeared to be terrified."

"Wait a minute. You two were going at it in the backyard last night? She told me that you had kissed her good night that's all. Well, good on her! She's been seriously lacking in the physical male relationship department ever since I've known her."

Mark was smiling and shaking his head as if he was completely blown away by all the information he hand just been given. Suddenly his eyes fixed on Ron and his smile widened. He looked remarkably like how Hermione had one time described the Cheshire Cat from one of the Muggle novels that she liked so well.

"You two were involved before she left, weren't you?"

Ron blushed deeper than he had in years. He didn't know why he was so affected by this man's inquiry about his and Hermione's relationship before she left England. Ron thought that maybe his reaction was due more to the look that Mark was giving him rather than the man's curiosity. _'He looks like he knows some juicy bit of information.'_

"Yes."

Mark enthusiastically smacked the table causing both Harry and Ron to jump. "I knew it. It all makes sense now. I should've known with all the strange things that happen with the twins that there was something special about them. The thought just never crossed my mind. Not with Miranda coming across as so clearly Muggle and her determination that there was no such thing as magic. It's just all adding up now."

Ron just sat staring at the man as if he had grown a second head that was speaking in Mermish. Harry, however, apparently had his wits about him enough to catch onto something that Ron completely missed, because he was quick to inquire. "Twins?"

"Yeah. Daniel and Emma. Hold on. I'll be right back." With that, the homeowner jumped out of his seat enthusiastically, smiling like a fool, and darted out of the room. He returned just moments later with a framed photograph and thrust it toward Ron. "I believe these are yours."

Upon taking hold of the photo and turning it so that he could see who the photograph was of, Ron could literally feel all the color draining from his face and felt as though his blood had been replaced with ice water straight from the Artic. Before he knew what was happening, there were tears running down his face as he stared at the picture of his only love and two little redheaded angels.

Through blurred vision he looked at his best mate and all that could escape his mouth was "Harry?" before he dropped the framed picture to the table and Apparated away hoping that he didn't splinch himself because all he could think of was _'Dear Merlin, I'm a dad.'_

'----------


	7. Chapter 6 Who Am I? Part II

**Please Remember Me**

Disclaimer : The _Harry Potter _characters in this story belong to J.K. Rowling. Many thanks to her for letting them roam about in the world I created for a bit.

As always, the reviews I have gotten on this story have been very much appreciated and so very overwhelming! You guys are the BEST! I was really happy that just as many people were surprised about the Daniel/Emma twist as were expecting them to be Ron and Hermione's kids. Sorry that I left you hanging there at the end of Chapter 5; hopefully, this quicker than usual update will make up for that.

I had really only planned on this story being about a total of 6 chapters and that included the Prologue and the Epilogue. However, as you can see we are now aPrologue and 6 Chapters in and things are just getting good. I guess as with real life, I've decided that the scenic route with this story is just so much more fun. The only bad thing about that is that the story design I've had in my head all along will need a little rethinking. I hope to have the next chapter posted as soon as possible!

Until then...HAPPY READING!

CHAPTER 6 – Who Am I? Part Two

After turning the last corner on her trip home from Salem, Hermione glanced into her rearview mirror to see that both the twins had dozed off. They did this every time she picked them up from spending the weekend at the Chase's. They would both talk, at the same time of course, about what they had done during their stay and then would fall asleep less than five minutes from home. These quick little catnaps only served to recharge their little batteries so they could keep going and going and going.

Hermione was pleased to find out that they had behaved their selves during this stay. The twins usually found their way into mischief more times than she could count, on both hands, and she always fretted about leaving them with their surrogate grandparents; however, Desmond and Eleanor always assured Hermione that the children were no problem at all.

They emphasized often that they were very thankful to have Emma and Daniel in their lives, since they would probably never have grandchildren of their own. Jarrod, obviously, wouldn't be producing any children with any of his boyfriends; their oldest daughter swore that there was no way she was ruining her figure to bring some thoughtless, ungrateful brat into this world; and their youngest daughter had some medical problems in her early teen years that left her sterile.

Hermione shouldn't have been surprised by the elder Chase's attachment to the twins. After all, they had been a part of their lives almost as long as Hermione had. A sad smile crossed her face as she glanced in the mirror one more time before turning into the driveway. She really was happy that her babies had a surrogate family to substitute for the family that she didn't have to give to them.

After shutting the car off and gathering her purse and the kids' overnight bags, she was able to rouse Daniel as she unbuckled his seat belt. Emma on the other hand was currently content to be napping. She picked her purse and Emma's knapsack from the driveway where she had sat them before pulling Emma out of the car and into her arms.

"Danny, can you please take your bag inside for me? Emmy is still tired and needs Mummy to carry her."

Daniel rubbed his little brown eyes and yawned before picking up his backpack with a picture of Spiderman and said, "I'm a good helper."

Hermione patted him softly on the top of the head and said, "Yes, you are a very good helper. Come on, love, let's get inside and see if Uncle Mark and Joe are here."

Hermione smiled as Daniel's eyes lit up at the mention of Joe. Against Hermione's better wishes, Joe was teaching Daniel all about drumming and the four-and-a-half year old was absolutely enthralled with it. Joe had even wanted to buy the little boy a drum set for this coming Christmas, but Hermione had set her foot down firmly on that one. Thank goodness, Mark had supported that decision as well, telling Joe that the neighbors probably wouldn't appreciate the noise.

As she watched her son take off across the yard toward the back door, Hermione placed a quick kiss on the top of Emma's head and gave the girl a little squeeze before making her way in as well. _'This all that matters. They are all that matters. Last night was unimportant and if Mark brings it up, you're gonna tell him to just drop it and move on.'_

Truth be told, all Hermione had thought of the entire afternoon was the events that had happened the night before. Unfortunately for her (most of the time, that is) she liked to over analyze every thing. So she had went through the events of the previous night backwards and forwards and like every other aspect of her life, she couldn't make complete sense out of any of it. She sighed as she was about to step through the door and into the kitchen, hoping that Mark wouldn't mention anything about finding her in tears and she wouldn't have to dodge an explanation again and she could finally, FINALLY put last night behind her.

After hearing Mark saying, "This is Uncle Mark's friend Harry," and then entering the kitchen to find Ron's dark haired friend sitting across the dinette from her friend, she sighed again and thought, _'Not bloody likely!'_

'----------

Ron would have to say that the one thing that he loved most about being a wizard was the methods of travel available. Thirty minutes ago, he had sat down to share a whiskey with his best mate and the man whom Hermione was living with in Boston, Massachusetts in the United States, and now he was standing in the front yard of Harry and Ginny's home at Godric's Hollow not too far from London, England.

Every situation or conflict that had arose since Hermione had been made to disappear, Ron had faced head on, most of the time without a second thought. This time, however, he ran, and he had run to the only person he felt he could run to with the information that he had just been presented with…Ginny.

'_Oh, please let her be here!'_ Ron thought as he made his way up the walkway toward the front door of the quaint little house that had once been home to Harry's parents.

Ron knew that he was being quite immature about the whole situation. To say that he had been shocked when he looked at the photograph that Mark had handed him, would've been an understatement. He was terrified beyond belief.

Of course, he didn't bother to wait around to find out if the twins in the picture with Hermione were her children or his for that matter. _'But how could they not be. The little boy was a spitting image of me when I was about to turn five years old except it appears that he has Hermione's brown eyes. And that little girl was a little Hermione with dark auburn hair. If the picture was current, then it would put the twins at the right age to have been conceived about five years ago.'_

Tears began to form in his eyes once again. He knew he was being selfish. He shouldn't be going all wonky over the fact that 24 hours ago he was simply Ron Weasley, Auror. Now he was the Ron Weasley, Dad. It was selfish of him to think that he was the only one hurting here…because more than anything, he was hurt that the Fates had kept him from watching his children grow up.

No. He couldn't even begin to think of how much Hermione had been hurt. Now he understand why she was having such a hard time in her personal life when she met that other bloke friend of hers. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to be eighteen years old and find out that you're responsible for not only one other life but two. Now at nearly twenty-three he was having a tough time of grasping the idea.

It was entirely his fault. He had once again caused Hermione all kinds of pain. _'She obviously has to be hurting still. Embarrassed even about being a mum and raising her kids on her own. She didn't even mention them last night. I should've known to cast that damn charm. Every one of my older brothers drilled it into my head since the time I turned twelve. She's going to hate me when she gets her memories back for ruining her life. I should've never let her leave. No! I should've went with her. I should've insisted!'_

By this time tears were flowing freely down his face as he stood at the bottom of the steps leading up to the front door, staring blankly at it. He was so wrapped up in his mental berating of himself that he didn't even noticed Ginny come out of the house until she was shaking him by the shoulders and screaming hysterically.

"Oh, god, Ron! What happened? Where's Harry? Oh, dear Merlin, please tell me he's okay? RON!"

Ron quickly came to his senses and realized that his sister must be thinking the worst about her husband. Ron quickly pulled her into a hug and said, "Gin, calm down. Harry is fine. He's still in Boston and at this moment he's probably sipping on a glass of whiskey staring at a photo of his niece and nephew. I'm sorry I scared you."

Ginny pulled away and quickly smacked Ron on the shoulder. "Don't you ever do that to me again! So why are you….hold on a minute. Did you say a photo of his niece and nephew?"

Getting lost quickly in his own thoughts again, he just looked blankly at his sister and nodded in agreement.

Ginny once again grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him slightly, chuckling nervously. "Ron. Are you sure you're okay? Harry doesn't have any nieces or nephews. Remember, little James here," she rubbed one hand over her bulging stomach, "is the first grandchild born into the Weasley clan."

Ron focused once again on his sister's eyes with his once again filling with unshed tears. "No, Gin, he's not."

'----------

When Hermione walked into her kitchen and found Harry Potter sitting at the dinette with Mark, apparently sharing a drink with him, that feeling of dread and horror washed over her much like the night before when she had thought that she had heard Ron say 'Hermione.' When she noticed that there was a third glass on the table and that Joe didn't drink any type of alcoholic beverage, she must've got a look of total panic on her face because Mark quickly jumped up and went to her.

"Miranda, love, what's wrong?"

Hermione took a deep breath and slowly let it out. _'Okay, you know that Mark isn't going to let anything happen to you or the kids, so just calm down!'_ Hermione flinched slightly when Mark took hold of Emma and was attempting to pull her daughter away from her.

"Sweetie, I'm just going to go lay her on the sofa. She's getting much too big for you to stand around holding her."

Hermione reluctantly let go of Emma and watched as Mark left the room calling for Daniel to come with him too. Once he had turned the corner into the sitting room and was out of sight, Hermione's eyes quickly shot to the third glass sitting on the table. She jumped and nearly screamed when Harry spoke.

"He's not here."

Her eyes quickly shot to the other man's and for the first time she noticed that they were the most brilliant shade of green she had ever seen. _'Almost like emeralds.'_ Her eyes went wide with shock. There it was again. The _heebie-jeebies_ hit her like a ton of bricks. She knew those eyes. They were the eyes of the boy in the woods in that horrible nightmare of hers.

She could feel tears of fear fill her eyes as she asked, "Who are you?"

"Harry Potter. Remember we met last night. I'm Ron's…"

"I know who you are, but _who_ are you? What are you doing here? And if he's not here, then where is he?"

Before Harry could offer any type of answer, Mark had returned to the room. He quickly walked over to Hermione and pulled her into a warm embrace and suddenly all the anxiety left her body. She let out a long sigh of relief as she returned the hug. Mark was the only person she knew that could make her feel completely better just by an act as simple as a hug.

He slowly pulled away and looked her in the eyes. "You know that I'll do anything at all to keep you and the twins safe, right? You trust me as much as I trust you, right"

Hermione was beyond confused and she really didn't like the feeling she was getting as to where this was heading. However, Mark was right. She knew that he'd never do anything to put her or her children in harms way and she trusted him with her and Daniel and Emma's lives. "Of course."

"And remember our rule we set up when we moved in here together, that no matter what, we always hear the other person out before we try to argue our own point?"

Again Hermione just nodded.

"Well, Hermione, I think you need to sit down and listen to what I have to tell you."

Eyes wide with fear, she suddenly felt very sick.

'----------

Ron was deep in thought as Ginny sat down next to him and put her small hand on his back between his shoulder blades. "Everything checks out fine. We leave in twelve minutes."

Ron mindlessly put his arm around his sister's shoulders and gave her a half hug. "Thanks for everything, Ginny." Ron didn't have to look at her to know that she was giving him that pity smile she was so good at giving him over the past several years whenever anything regarding Hermione was mentioned.

Ron sighed and looked around the small waiting room outside the Ministry of Magic's Portkey Office. Before they could travel by portkey, witches who were in their third trimester of pregnancy had to be cleared by a Mediwizard before they could get an authorized portkey. Ron was really hoping that no one from his department, especially Kingsley Shacklebolt, caught sight of him at the Ministry before he and Ginny could catch a portkey back to Salem. The last thing he needed right now was trying to explain why he and Harry had disobeyed a direct order.

Ron glanced over at his sister and had to smile at her as she sat staring at her protruding belly and absentmindedly ran her hands over it. He felt a small pang in his heart knowing that he had missed seeing Hermione when she was "glowing with motherhood" as his mother liked to call it. Ron gently placed his hand over the center of Ginny's belly just as little James kicked. He finally met his sister's stare and said, "Thanks again, Ginny."

She leaned her head over on his shoulder and said, "Don't mention it Ickle Ronniekins."

They both laughed before Ron returned to his thoughts. He still wasn't sure how he was going to deal with the whole being a dad thing or how he was going to approach Hermione now. After explaining everything that had happened in the last twenty-four and all the information that he currently had, Ginny had reassured him the situation really wasn't as grim as he was trying to make it be and that Hermione wouldn't hate him for getting her pregnant and then sending her off to a foreign country with no memories since Hermione had agreed completely to the plan to keep her safe, and there was no way that either one of them could've known at the time that she had gotten pregnant. Although, Ginny did reiterate that although their parents and older brothers would be ecstatic about the additions to the family, they would probably threaten to hex his bits off for being so irresponsible.

"Gin, why are you going back with me anyway? Don't you need to stay here to finish brewing the potion for the Pensive?"

"Well, my dear brother, the potion will be just fine. It needs to brew another two days before it is complete and you don't even add the next round of ingredients for the next twenty-two hours. So, I think I'm safe in venturing to the States for a bit. Plus, there is no way I am leaving my bumbling brother, my sexy but even more bumbling husband and some bloke I've never met to explain this highly complicated situation to one of my best friends and hopefully future sister-in-law."

As he always seemed to do, Ron reverted back to witty comments to cover his true feelings of dread and embarrassment. "So, I'm not sexy?"

Ginny laughed and shook her head and rolled her eyes. "You know, Ron, you never change." She stood up and grabbed him by the hand. "Come on, Daddy, it's time to go get you your future."

'-----------

Hermione sat on the flat roof of the kitchen just outside the guest bedroom's east window with her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped around her knees. She stared into what should've been the dark night sky had it not been illuminated by the glow of the Boston city lights. Her face was damp and her eyes were swollen from hours of crying. She had lost track of time, but she was sure that it had been at least 2 hours, if not three, since Mark and Harry had finished telling her their stories.

'_And that's all they are…stories! It can't be real. None of it can be real. Magic is just something from fairy tales and movies. It defies all sense of logic.' _Hermione buried her face in her hands once again. _'But why would Mark lie to you about any of it? Mark would never lie to you…NO! Wait a minute! He has been lying to you since you've known him…Yeah, but he had to for his job. Anyway, there have been times he's tried to explain the strange things that happen around here and you've just blown him off.'_

Hermione growled silently and leaned her head back against the side of the house, trying to focus on the music that she had blaring out the window. She needed to focus on anything at the moment besides all these thoughts that were colliding in her head.

Magic couldn't really exist, could it? Well, she couldn't explain the things that Mark had demonstrated down in the kitchen with anything other than magic. But, her, a witch? She just couldn't see how it was possible. If she was magical, she would think that she would feel special in some way, but she didn't. She was just plain ol' Miranda Chase. Okay, so she wasn't. She was Hermione Granger and now Mark knew that was her name and apparently this Harry Potter and Ron knew that was her real name all along.

She had to chuckle a bit at the thought that even though she was utterly confused and scared to death, she was able to get hacked off at Ron for blatantly lying to her the night before about saying 'Hermione.' She couldn't explain it, but it felt oddly natural to be upset at him. She quickly shook her head at that thought.

'But why in the world would you willingly give up all your memories and put you life in the hands of another person who would be the only one who would know where you were at? Come on, Hermione! You're not that stupid!'

Hermione looked to the sky once again and whispered, "Why me?" while shaking her head in exasperation. She tried to tune her thoughts on the music again when she heard arguing just inside the window that she was sitting only about two meters from.

"You listen here, the both of you. It's your fault that we're in this mess, so I don't want to hear one more peep out of the two of you about pregnant women climbing out windows and onto roofs!"

A small smile passed across Hermione's face. She knew without a doubt and without being properly introduced that the woman's voice she had just heard was that of Ron's only sister. She sounded just as Ron had described her. She most definitely had more bits that Ron and Harry put together.

Hermione looked over to see the very pregnant woman struggling to climb through the medium sized window. Once through the window, she straightened herself up, brushed off her shirt and smiled. She had opened her mouth to speak when Hermione beat her to it.

"Hello, Ginny."

There was a collective gasp not only from Ginny but from (Hermione assumed) Ron, Harry and probably Mark as well from inside the house. "You remember me?" Ginny asked excitedly.

Hermione frowned but quickly recovered into a sad smile. "No. Sorry. Just simple deduction, you know."

Ginny gave Hermione a genuine smile before struggling to sit down on the roof next to her. Hermione watched Ginny reposition herself to try to get comfortable and couldn't help but comment, "Just be thankful you're not carrying twins."

Ginny's head snapped toward Hermione. The red haired woman was obviously shocked by the comment, but it seemed to fade quickly and the woman smiled at her again. Hermione quickly found her fingernails very interesting and the two of them sat in silence for several moments. Once again Hermione had a million and one thoughts running through her head. She was pulled from her reverie by Ginny's soft voice.

"What are you listening to?"

Hermione jumped slightly at the sound of the silence being broken. She smiled slightly and said, "It's a Cast Recording of _Les Miserables_."

"Ah, yeah. I've heard of that. I studied about it and other production in my Muggles Studies classes back at Hogwarts."

"So you're a witch, too?"

"Yeah. Just like you."

Once again Hermione just looked at her hands. She felt very uncomfortable with the entire situation she was in. She was especially uncomfortable with everyone suddenly being so nonchalant about the idea of magic and witches and wizards. She really just wanted to take Daniel and Emma and disappear.

"What's the name of this song? It keeps playing over and over again."

"Yeah, I have the CD player set to repeat it."

"Well, what's it called?"

"_Who Am I?_" Hermione turned her head so that she was looking at Ginny once more and in a condescending tone said, "Kind of fitting, isn't it."

Suddenly, Hermione was taken by surprise as the other woman threw her arms around her and hugged her tightly while she giggled almost uncontrollably. "Oh, Hermione! You've still got that sarcastic humor to you. I bet you've even already rolled you eyes at least once at something Ron has said."

Unexpectedly Hermione burst into tears and Ginny's grip on her tightened. She didn't know why she was crying so hard all of a sudden, but it was as if in her heart of hearts she knew she could believe this woman sitting next to her, holding her in a sisterly embrace and that meant that Hermione's world was quickly falling to pieces.

Ginny was slowing stroking Hermione's hair when she said, "Come on, 'Mione. How about we go inside where we can talk more comfortably and I'll answer any question you have, alright?"

Hermione had so many questions to ask and she felt much more comfortable talking to Ginny than any one of the guys. She shook her head in agreement, stood up, wiped her tears away then helped Ginny to her feet. The woman hugged her once more before making her way to struggle getting back through the window.

As Hermione climbed through the window and into the now empty (expect for Ron's only sister) room, she couldn't help but think that tonight was going to be a much longer night than the last. And for one split second she also couldn't help but think that she had gotten absolutely no where on the project for her summer course.

'_Oh well, If I really am magic, I'll just wave my little wand and the project is as good as done._' Hermione couldn't help but wonder if it was possible to become unjaded as quickly as her attitude had become jaded this afternoon.


	8. Chapter 7 Better Days

**Please Remember Me**

Disclaimer : The _Harry Potter _characters in this story belong to J.K. Rowling. Many thanks to her for letting them roam about in the world I created for a bit.

As always, thank you so much for your reviews. I love you guys! It's all the wonderful reviews that have turned this story into the monster that it is.

CHAPTER 7 – Better Days

"Well, Hermione, I think you need to sit down and listen to what I have to tell you."

_Hermione was thankful that Mark had pulled out a chair for her, because she nearly passed out from the wave of fear and fear-induced nausea that had washed over her. All she could think was that those two British bastards had told Mark all about who she really was. Her life was quickly crumbling around her._

_Mark must've recognized her panic, because when he sat down at the table, he sat very close, facing her and gently began to rub his right hand up and down her back. Suddenly she felt that familiar wave of euphoria wash over her. She could never understand why _he_ was able to make her feel this way. She closed her eyes and took the three calming breaths she had always made herself take in stressful situations. _

"_Feeling better now, sweetie?" Mark asked, his voice soft and calm. "There's nothing to worry about, love. Nothing at all."_

_Hermione could immediately feel her eyes feel with tears. She was a battleground of conflicting emotions. She was terrified beyond belief and everything in her body was telling her to grab the kids and run; however, another part of her loved Mark more than she could ever remember loving anyone other than her parents, and even though they weren't "together" in the sense of normal couples, Mark was all that she had. She needed to believe him. She needed to believe that she had nothing to worry about._

_Mark tucked some stray strands of hair behind her ear and then smiled a genuine smile at her. She returned the smile the best she could before Mark began speaking. "Well, I guess, first things first. I know you're name isn't Miranda Chase. I now know that it is actually Hermione Granger, and if what Ron said about your reaction last night when he slipped up and called you Hermione, then you know that is actually your name as well."_

_Hermione quickly looked down at the table. Even through her terror, she felt guilty for lying to Mark for so long. He had been so many things to her, and she had dishonored their relationship by lying to him for nearly three years. She hated herself even more for the fact that he had to find out the truth from two men who were most likely there to kill her. _

_She was startled from her thoughts when Mark ran his fingers down her cheek to her chin and turned her face toward him. "It is an absolute honor to meet you, Hermione Granger."_

_Any bit of resolve that Hermione had left broke as the tears began to spill down her cheeks and her lower lip began to quiver as she muttered, "I'm so sorry."_

_Mark cut off her apology. "No, sweetie. You have nothing to be sorry about. I completely understand why you couldn't tell me who you were. I know that you thought you had to keep your identity a secret to keep yourself safe. But there's more; more that you don't know about. But you don't have to be scared anymore; you don't have to hide anymore. There's so much to tell you, and like I said before, you need to hear me out before you start to question what I have to say. And, trust me, dear, there will be questions!"_

_On the verge of a full out sob, Hermione pleaded, "Please, Mark, don't let them hurt my babies." Hermione had accepted the fact that she had been found and that her death was now imminent. She assumed that, for what ever reason, Mark had been given some sort of deal, because she was sure that Ron and Harry (if that was really their names) would have just killed Mark and waited for her to return home to finish their job. If these two had cut a deal with him, she was definitely going to plead for her children's lives. After all, they had absolutely no contact with anyone in Britain._

_Quickly Mark pulled Hermione into a hug, but it was Harry who spoke, his voice laced with deep emotion. "Dear Merlin, Hermione, we're not hear to hurt you. We're hear to take you home."_

_Hermione quickly pulled away from Mark to look questioningly at the dark haired man. She was just about to question exactly what he meant by "home" when something else struck her curiosity. "Merlin? What's with all this Merlin shit? Ron used the same phrase last night."_

_Both Mark and Harry chuckled and Harry looked at Mark and asked, "She still doesn't miss the most minute of details, does she?" For his answer, Mark just smiled and shook his head._

_Hermione was about to get very angry with both men for apparently sharing some sort of insane inside joke when a terrible thought occurred to her. "Where is he?" she practically screamed. "That red headed bastard better not lay one hand on my children!"_

_She started to stand, but Mark put his hand on her shoulder. "Relax. He's not here. He left actually rather quickly. He got a bit of a shock, but we'll get to that later."_

_Hermione snorted and said, "He got a bit of a shock?" She noticed that Mark and Harry gave each other a knowing look. "What's going on here?" she asked._

_Mark turned serious again and said, "Well, my dear. There's a few things I've kept from you as well." _

_And there it was. He hadn't cut a deal with the two British political terrorists. He was working with them. Probably had been since even before he and she had met. Everything they had done together, led up to this moment, the moment her life ended. She couldn't help but feel a little glad that at least she was going to die Hermione Granger and not Miranda Chase._

_She decided that since she was already a goner, she was going out fighting. "You bastard!" she screamed at Mark. "You're one of them. You've spent nearly three years setting me up. How much are these terrorists paying you, huh? Is Joe in on this too or have you been lying to him as well?"_

_She was completely dumbfounded when Mark started laughing at her. The bastard actually had the balls to sit there and laugh at her. She felt an all-encompassing anger building up when suddenly Mark had pulled her into a hug. She tried to push him away, but he only held on tighter and suddenly, the anger was subsiding and she was beginning to feel calm._

"_How the hell do you do that?" Hermione screamed as she finally succeeded in pushing Mark away._

_She had expected him to question her question, but instead he answered with one word. "Magic."_

"_Excuse me?"_

"_Magic, love. I take away your pain and your fear and your anxiety with magic."_

"_Oh, honestly. So is this part of your game? Are you trying to drive me around the bend before you let him kill me?"_

_For the second time since Mark started this conversation, Harry spoke up. "Excuse me? I'm not here to kill anyone, especially not you, Hermione. I've spent that last five years wishing you back."_

_Hermione had had enough. She was done with whatever game was being played here. At the moment, she definitely wasn't feeling threatened in any way. She assumed that if they were going to make a move to harm her, they would've done it by now. She stood up abruptly, intent on grabbing Daniel and Emma and getting the hell out of there, but in the process of standing, her chair caught on the tile and tipped backwards knocking a glass off of the counter behind her and causing it to shatter all over the floor._

"_Bloody hell!" She swore and, despite her intent on leaving, her obsessive-compulsiveness kicked in and she grabbed a dishtowel off the table and turned to begin to clean up the mess but stopped at the sound of Mark's voice._

"_Reparo." _

_Hermione stood, eyes wide with shock, staring at the glass now sitting on the floor in perfect condition. Just seconds ago it was in pieces all over the floor behind her and now it wasn't. She was further shocked when she heard Mark speak again ("Accio glass") and suddenly the glass was moving on its own accord from the floor and into Mark's hand. Hermione was thankful that Harry had already righted her chair because once again she went weak in the knees as she almost passed out, this time from shock. _

"_Magic. I'm a wizard, Hermione. I'm a wizard, Harry, here, is a wizard, Ron's a wizard, and, love, you're a witch. I'm pretty sure that Daniel and Emma have magical abilities as well."_

_Everything began to go black when she heard someone saying her name. "Hermione? Hermione? Hermione?"_

'----------

"Hermione?"

She was jerked from her thoughts by a soft touch on her shoulder. Hermione shook her head to clear it and looked at the pregnant woman who was now sitting next to her.

Once in from the roof outside the guest room, Hermione had turned off the CD player and had sat in the middle of the queen-sized bed with her back leaning against the headboard and her knees pulled up to her chest. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her legs and she had rested her chin on her knees just before she had spaced out remembering back to her encounter this afternoon with her housemate and a man she would eventually find out in a very long and confusing conversation was her long lost best friend from school…magic school.

Ginny Potter had apparently sat down on the edge of the bed while Hermione was lost in her thoughts. The woman was looking at her with so much awe and appreciation and love that Hermione felt slightly uncomfortable. She quickly put her face down where her knees were touching and sighed loudly.

"How are you doing?" the redheaded mother-to-be asked.

Hermione chuckled slightly and raised her head to look at the other woman placing her chin on her knees again. "Well, I've had better days."

Ginny smiled and laughed a bit as well. "Well, if it's any consolation, you've had a lot worse, too."

Hermione smiled back at the woman and agreed. "I suppose you're right about that." She then felt her heart constrict at the thought that her life was completely in turmoil.

Ginny placed a soothing hand on Hermione's forearm and said, "Ok. So how bad did those two bugger things up with their attempt at an explanation?" She smiled brightly at Hermione.

Hermione returned the smile but not nearly as enthusiastically. "Oh, I wouldn't say that they buggered things too much. I don't think that anyone could've made the information any harder or any easier to grasp. I still don't think I am completely ready to accept everything as truth."

"Well you're wrong about one thing." Hermione quirked one eyebrow in a look of confusion at Ginny's comment. The redhead simply smiled almost mischievously as she said, "My prat of a brother could've definitely managed to bugger things up if he'd been the one trying to explain."

Hermione blushed slightly at the mention of the person who had invaded most of her thoughts while she was sitting out on the roof. Timidly she started, "About your brother…um…oh, never mind." The last bit was said in almost a whispered voice.

"What did Harry tell you about Ron?"

Hermione let out a loud sigh before answering. "Nothing. I asked him how Ron fit into all of this and he said that we were friends but that it would probably be best for him to explain things."

"Yeah, that sounds like my Harry." Ginny smiled and winked at Hermione then stared into her eyes. Hermione began to feel uncomfortable once again under the other women's scrutinizing look when Ginny startled her by speaking.

"Yes."

Hermione was a little taken back. Confused, she said, "Yes, what?"

"Yes. It's the answer to the question that you're too afraid to ask, but I can see it lingering behind your eyes. Yes, you and Ron were involved before you had to leave us."

Suddenly tears were flowing from Hermione's eyes and she was sobbing nearly uncontrollably. Quickly, she found herself in the loving embrace of the woman who she was told was once her childhood friend. Ginny was soothingly stroking Hermione's hair and whispering soft, nonsensical words.

Hermione jerked back, shaking her head as if she was trying to tell herself that she wasn't upset. Tears still streaming down her cheeks and her lower lip quivering, Hermione voiced the one thing she had kept to herself all afternoon and into the evening while all the information about her past life was being presented to her.

"Oh, god, Ginny. I knew. I knew it was him. Oh, god, how can I ever look at him again?" Hermione quickly buried her face in her hands.

She heard Ginny sigh before saying, "Hermione, dear, you're not making any sense. What did you know?"

They sat in silence for a moment or two or a million for all that Hermione knew. She took in a deep breath before removing her hands so she could once again make eye contact with the other woman in the room. "When we kissed last night, I knew in my heart that I knew him…that we'd been together before. My body was reacting to him in a way that it had never reacted with another man, not that there had really been anyone serious since I moved here."

Hermione looked down at her hands, contemplating exactly what she wanted to share with her companion, when Ginny spoke. "He loves you, you know? Always has and I'm sure, always will."

Hermione was sure that Ginny was only trying to comfort her, but all that it accomplished was turning on the waterworks once again. The only other time that Hermione could ever remember crying this hard was the day that she found out she was pregnant. Well, actually it was the day she found out and the week that followed. She was completely distraught, but what girl wouldn't be. She was eighteen years old, had just lost her parents ten weeks before, and couldn't even remember having sex, let alone who she had had sex with to get in that condition.

"Ginny?" Hermione was greeted with a soft but sad smile. "The twins?"

Ginny's smile widened although there were now tears forming in her eyes as well. She simply answered with just a nod of her head. Hermione took a very ragged breath, trying her best not to break out into another whole-hearted sob. Her heart constricted. How was she going to face Ron again, because she knew he was somewhere in her house and she would have to see him again.

Hermione was once again engulfed in a hug. "It's going to be alright, Hermione. Trust me. In two days we'll be able to return your memories to you and everything will be right as rain."

Hermione pulled away and quickly slid off the opposite side of the bed. Ginny was looking at her expectantly. Suddenly feeling extremely guilty, she looked to the floor before saying, "What if I don't want them back?"

'----------

Ron sat on the sofa in the house of Special Agent Marcus Randall staring into his glass of whiskey and listening to the voice coming from the telly. He had been in this state since he had been shooed out of the bedroom upstairs by his currently overbearing sister. He was reliving the events of the day over and over again in his head. He couldn't even begin to understand what Hermione must be going through.

He let out a sigh just as he felt Harry shift his weight on the other end of the sofa. "So how do you think things are going up there?" Harry asked.

Ron shrugged. "Must not be too bad. You know that both Ginny and Hermione are very stubborn and capable women. I haven't heard anything break or explode, so things must be going fine considering the situation."

"Yeah, I suppose. How are you holding up, mate?"

Ron chuckled a bit. "Well, I suppose I've had better days, huh?"

"Yeah, suppose you have. But we've found her, and true to herself, she's taken the information in stride and seems to be analyzing everything. Knowing our 'Mione, she's up their with Ginny making lists and schedules and such."

Ron couldn't help but smile; however, it quickly faded. "I'm scared, Harry." Ron didn't turned to look at his friend, but he could feel the other man's eyes boring into him. "What if she doesn't want me? What if I haven't become the man she expected me to be? I mean, Merlin, I don't even know the first thing about being a dad, Harry."

"Ron, you'll be fine. Everything will be fine. I'm sure she's still going to want you. You know for a fact that she's still attracted to you, right? Plus, Hermione loved you long before you even realized that she didn't stand up to piss."

Ron quickly punched Harry in the arm. "Harry," he groaned.

Harry just laughed. "Just trying to break the tension, mate! Anyway, it is the truth. She loved you even before I think she knew what it was that she was feeling. And as for you not becoming the man she expected you to be. That's just bollocks! You're a great Auror, second only to yours truly." Again, Harry laughed but avoided Ron's attack on his arm. "And Ron, you know about as much about being a dad as I do, but you don't see me freaking out."

"That's different though. You've had months to get used to the idea and you'll get to start from scratch. I've missed all the firsts with them and what if they don't even like me? What if they hate me for not finding their Mum and them sooner?"

Ron was really beginning to panic. Just as he was sitting here, speaking with his best mate, Ron was coming up with even more fears and questions. Thankfully when he had returned with Ginny, the twins had already been put to bed. Dealing with Hermione was going to be hard enough; he didn't want to add the awkwardness of trying to figure out how to approach the twins as well.

Ron was pulled from his thoughts as Mark poked his head into the sitting room and announced that there was an owl in the kitchen with a letter addressed to Harry. Harry quickly stood and followed the homeowner into the kitchen. Ron was left alone for the first time in hours to contemplate what his life had become. He let out a long sigh before placing his elbows on his knees and then his face into his hands.

He was trying to decide what he was going to say to Hermione when he was once again face to face with her, when he was startled by a tiny female voice.

"Who are you?"

Shocked, Ron sat up quickly only to come face to face with an anxious looking little girl. _'Oh, Merlin, what was her name again?'_ Ron suddenly felt a pang in his heart and sick at his stomach. What kind of messed up world was he living in? He didn't even know his own child's name.

Ron noticed the look of fear in the little girl's eyes as she started to back up. The last thing he wanted to do was frightened his daughter (_'Boy that felt weird…daughter…I have a daughter.'_) so in a soft voice he answered her question.

"Ronald Weasley. I knew your Mum when she was in school. What's your name?"

The little girl worried her lower lip between her teeth and Ron had to smile. He couldn't begin to count the number of times he had seen the same reaction from Hermione when she was thinking how to respond to a question. He was truly amazed at how much the little girl looked like her mother. The similarities were apparent in the photo, but in person, they were truly remarkable.

"I'm Emma Madeline Chase," she responded very properly, and Ron had to chuckle as she even extended her hand toward him. He would've expected nothing less than perfect manners from Hermione's children. _'That's only because I haven't had my chance at corrupting them yet.'_ Ron again began to chuckle, but his heart broke when the meaning of his thought hit him.

He put on a big, fake smile and took her little hand into his. "It's a pleasure to meet you Emma Madeline Chase." It took all he had not to call her Weasley. Once he released her hand, she moved to sit at the empty end of the sofa and stared at him.

"Did you make Mummy cry?"

Ron felt his eyes start to fill with tears. How could he answer this question. Yes, he was at least part of the reason she was crying, but did she mean now or was this about last night or had she still been so upset this morning that she was still in tears over the mess he'd made the night before.

He decided to take the safe way out and lie. "I'm not sure why you're mummy is upset, but I'm sure it's nothing to worry about."

Ron watched as Emma nodded as if to agree with his analysis of the situation. He also noticed that she inched her way a little closer to him. She was looking at him intently, and it was starting to make his slightly nervous at being scrutinized by a five year old. He tried to will himself not to look away and just when his will was about to break, she spoke.

"You're hair is like Danny's. Do you know Danny?"

"Well, love, I haven't met Danny, but I'm guessing he's your brother."

Emma smiled and her eyes lit up. "Mummy calls me love too."

Ron couldn't help but smile too. She, his daughter, was absolutely adorable. "She does?" Emma simply shook her head in agreement. "Well, me and her both grew up in the same place. Lots of people get called love there." He noticed that her smile faltered a bit, and he realized that he had probably just burst some bubble of uniqueness for her. "But you're mummy and me only use it on _really_ special people."

Ron was happy to see that his last statement had the desired effect. Emma was smiling brightly once again. Ron was trying to decide exactly what he wanted to say to her next when Mark came into the room.

"Emma Madeline, you are supposed to be in bed, young lady."

Ron had to try hard not to smile when Emma looked at the other man and stuck her lip out in a much practiced and probably much used pout and said, "But Uncle Mark, I need a drink of water. My throat is all itchy." She had even started batting her eyelashes.

Ron had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. He couldn't say he had ever seen Hermione use this particular tactic to get what she wanted, but he had most definitely seen both Fred and George as well as Ginny use it time and time again on their mother when they were growing up. _'I guess some behaviors are truly inherited.'_

Mark kissed the girl on the top of the head and said, "Just a small one and then straight to bed for you."

Ron suddenly felt very tired as well as the need to relieve himself. Before Mark disappeared into the kitchen once more, he asked, "Hey, mate, where's your loo?" When the other man looked at him questioningly, he rephrased his questions? "Your, um, bathroom?"

"Upstairs on the right at the end of the hall, next to the last door."

Ron nodded then made his way up the stairs. Before he was even two steps up, he was once again lost in his own thoughts. He only slightly registered the fact that it was odd that Mark had said it was the next to the last door at the end of the hall when there was only one door at the end of the hall. He sighed once again at how messed up his life had become in less than forty-eight hours before opening the door to go into the loo.

It took him about half a second to realize that this room wasn't the loo and even less than that to notice that Hermione was standing just inside the door, topless and in the process of removing her jeans. Both of the former lovers froze in shock and stared into one another eyes.

Ron's eyes quickly went wide when he realized that his body was having the same reaction it'd had five years ago at the sight of Hermione topless. _'Oh, god, not now!'_ He quickly looked down as if staring at the bulge that had formed in the front of his trousers could rid him of the embarrassing reaction. He looked up again to notice that apparently Hermione had followed his line of sight because she was staring wide-eyed at the front of his trousers.

That sight only furthered to arouse him, making his current situation more uncomfortable. He cleared his throat and when she made eye contact with him once again, he managed a sheepish grin before he said, "Hey."


	9. Chapter 8 You and Me

**Please Remember Me**

Disclaimer : The _Harry Potter _characters in this story belong to J.K. Rowling. Many thanks to her for letting them roam about in the world I created for a bit.

As always, thank you sooooooooooo much for your reviews.

CHAPTER 8 – You and Me

Before Ron was even two steps up the stairs on his way to us the toilet, he was once again lost in his own thoughts. He only slightly registered the fact that it was odd that Mark had said it was the next to the last door at the end of the hall when there was only one door at there. He groaned at how messed up his life had become in less than forty-eight hours.

It took him about half a second to realize that this room wasn't the loo and even less than that to notice that Hermione was standing just inside the door, topless and in the process of removing her jeans. Both of the former lovers froze in shock and stared into one another eyes.

Ron's eyes quickly went wide when he realized that his body was having the same reaction it'd had five years ago at the sight of Hermione topless. _'Oh, god, not now!'_ He quickly looked down as if staring at the bulge that had formed in the front of his trousers could rid him of the embarrassing reaction. He looked up again to notice that apparently Hermione had followed his line of sight because she was staring wide-eyed at the front of his jeans.

That sight only furthered to arouse him, making his current situation even more uncomfortable. He cleared his throat and when she made eye contact with him once again, he managed a sheepish grin before he said, "Hey."

Ron was shocked when she answered, "Hey yourself." Her voice was deep and lust filled.

He was even further shocked when Hermione began to saunter toward him, swaying her hips quite seductively from side to side. Her jeans were still resting low on her hips and her thumbs were hitched in the belt loops. _'God, she is so sexy!'_ was the only thought that went through Ron's mind as she came to a stop right in front of him.

She raised her face to look up at him with pleading eyes and said, "Excuse me."

'_Huh?'_ Ron was taken back. Her voice had gone from deep and sexy to sounding like a little girl's. Ron jumped when he felt a tug at the back of his T-shirt.

"Excuse me!"

Suddenly he was lying flat on his stomach on the floor at the top of the stairs apparently tripping on the last step when he was startled. He sat up quickly and noticed that Emma was three stairs down from him, hands on her hips, giving the same disapproving look that he had received more times than he could count from her mother. His arousal caused by the images in his mind quickly dissipated.

"You're slow just like Danny," she huffed as she walked up the remaining steps and around him. Just as she was disappearing into a room near the top of the steps, Ron heard her mutter something about boys.

For a moment, he stifled a chuckle. _'Great, now I've got two women in my life that I can manage to hack off just by doing something stupid._' This thought wiped the slight smirk from his face and the chuckle quickly disappeared. He really didn't _have_ any women in his life, not yet at least.

Ron frantically scrubbed his face with the palms of his hands trying desperately to rub his mind completely back to reality. It had been more than two years since he'd had one of those episodes where his mind lapsed into a very vivid daydream. Madam Pomfrey had told him that these "visions," if you could really call them that, were stress induced and were most likely just a side effect of the brain tentacles from the Department of Mysteries.

The matriarch had told him that much like the physical scars on his arms, these episodes would one day be completely gone; however, it would take them much longer. Before they had been visions of death and torture and despair. He had never had an episode like the one he had just had while ascending the stairs. Boy, his life was really fucked up at the moment.

He sighed loudly and then muttered, "Sleep. You need sleep!"

He rubbed his face once more, stood and then made his way toward the loo. It was apparently the room next to the room in which the men had left the two women alone. His heart clinched as he thought of how much pain Hermione must be in and how confused she was. He couldn't even begin to imagine how he would be handling things if it was him in that room with her. _'Thank goodness for Ginny. I've got to remember to buy her something really nice when we all get back home.'_

Ron had just approached the door to the bathroom and was about to enter when he heard the knob rattle on the door to the room that Hermione and Ginny were in. He froze. Part of him was hoping that it was his sister emerging from the room. The other part was wishing that it would be Hermione to exit.

His heart broke as he watched Hermione leave the room. Her eyes were red and extremely puffy, and her nose was red as if it had been blown several times. She stopped when she realized that he was standing in the hallway watching the door expectantly. Immediately her eyes filled with tears again and he watched one trickle down her cheek before she took a shuddering breath and attempted to compose herself.

"Hello," she said softly as she quickly looked down at the floor.

Ron closed his eyes for a moment to quickly compose himself as well. He needed to tap into that Gryffindor courage as well as his Auror strength so that he could approach Hermione. She looked so lost and fragile. All he wanted to do was pull her into his arms and never let her go, but he knew that action would only startle her and would most likely ruin any chance he had at a much needed one-on-one conversation.

"Hey," he said softly as he walked toward her. She was still looking at the floor, but that didn't stop him from noticing that the lone tear remained sitting on her cheek. Before he could stop himself, he had ran the pad of his thumb over her cheek to wipe it away. She gasped and jumped back slightly.

"Sorry." He apologized quickly in hopes to rectify his stupid actions.

She gave a half smile and said, "No, it's okay. I'm sorry for jumping. I… I just wasn't expecting…"

"I think we need to talk. Just you and me."

Hermione who had been, once again, looking at the floor snapped her attention up to Ron. He hadn't planned on being so blunt. Thankfully his mouth had acted without consulting his brain, because by the small smile she gave him, it was what needed to be said.

"Yeah, but…" She broke off and once again looked at the floor. Ron studied her a moment and recognized the same things in her that he knew he was feeling. She was not only physically wiped-out, but emotionally as well. He figured that her "but" was going to be followed by something along the lines that she was really tired. He didn't know why she had decided not to continue. Maybe she didn't want to be rude. Maybe she didn't want to hurt his feelings. All Ron knew was that what they had to say to each other could wait a few hours.

"I know what you mean," he said with a smile forming. "I'm pretty beat myself, so maybe we could see each other tomorrow." Ron was happy that she was finally showing the first hints of a genuine smile. He didn't know why, but he suddenly felt as though something had washed over him and that they were destined to be all right. "Although, I am a bit disappointed that both Harry and Ginny have had their turn with you."

Ron watched as Hermione's small smile was starting to falter. He figured that she probably thought that he was truly hurt, and his Hermione hated hurting other people if she could help it. He was beginning to wish that he hadn't tried an attempt at their playful banter, or perhaps, had tried a better attempt, when he saw a light flash behind her eyes and her smile broadened.

Playfully she smacked his arm. "Honestly, Ronald. It's not fair to tease. I've had one hell of a day."

That was it. Everything seemed to fall into place. He quickly pulled her into a hug and was ecstatic when she returned the hug with just as much enthusiasm. He kissed her temple and whispered, "I've missed you, love, but we can talk tomorrow. You go get yourself some sleep."

He felt her nod her head in agreement then he reluctantly released his hold on her. "I have a lecture tomorrow afternoon that I have to attend, but if you want to come by in the morning, the house will be empty. Mark will be at work and Daniel and Emma will be at pre-school from eight to noon."

"I'll be here around nine o'clock then."

She gave him one last smile and a nod before she started down the hall and disappeared behind the door at the other end. Ron was still watching the door when his sister's voice brought his attention back.

"We've got a problem, Ron."

Ron sighed deeply. Of course they had a problem. There was always a problem. He shook his head in disgust as he cursed the Fates yet again. Would anything ever just go smoothly for him?

'----------

Hermione sat in front of her vanity mirror staring at the dark circles under her eyes. She looked a complete fright, but that was expected. Her life had been completely turned upside down in the past twenty-four hours.

When she had crawled into bed last night after hours of crying and attempting to process all the information that had been given to her, she thought that sleep would come easy. After all, she was completely drained, and indeed she had fallen right to sleep.

However, the sleep was far from peaceful because she kept having quite inappropriate dreams about the man she had learned was the father of her children. It was basically the same dream she had been having on and off for years about a red headed man making love to her. Last night, however, the dream went further than it normally did and the red headed man was Ronald Weasley.

Hermione ran a brush through her hair and quickly pulled it into a ponytail. Part of her wanted to spend obscene amounts of time on her hair and makeup so that she was looked stunning for Ron when he came to have their talk. The other part of her thought that she shouldn't even bother with trying to look appealing, because that would only give the poor man false hope.

She still hadn't made a final decision as to whether to believe everything she had been told yet, and as she had discussed with Ron's sister last night, she wasn't even sure if she wanted these memories back. What if they really weren't her memories, but were just a ploy to get her back to London. She wasn't ready to just willingly hand her life over to people that were complete strangers to her.

She was willing to accept the fact that magic actually existed. She was even willing to believe that she had magical abilities and so did the twins. That actually would explain some of the very odd things that had occurred over the last five years. However, she really wasn't ready to believe that she would just willingly allow someone to take her memories from her and turn her life into a farce shipping her off to a foreign country to live with complete strangers.

Hermione glanced at the alarm clock sitting on the table next to the bed and noted that Ron would be there any minute. She sighed at not having enough time to mentally prepare herself for his visit. She had gotten up late and had just barely gotten the kids to the school in time only to return home and find Mark still sitting at the kitchen table in his pajamas stating that he had no plans on going to work and leaving her home alone. It took her thirty minutes and finally an admission that she wouldn't be alone, to get Mark's arse up and out the door.

That left her fifteen minutes to get herself ready, and she had spent the last ten of those minutes staring into the mirror lost in her thoughts. Hermione took one last look in the mirror and hastily decided that she didn't want to look like death for her guest. After all, whether this man was really from her past or not, she was definitely attracted to Ron. She started quickly sifting through her makeup bag and began applying a light coat of foundation, neutral-colored eye shadow, and some lip-gloss.

She heard a knock on the door and took one final look in the mirror. She was far from glamorous looking, but at least now she was more presentable. She tossed her makeup back into its bag and headed down the stairs.

When she opened the back door, she was greeted by a wide, warm smile coming from a very rested looking Ronald Weasley. She couldn't explain it, but she suddenly felt very perturbed that he looked like he had been able to sleep well and she hadn't.

As he walked through the door and into the kitchen, Hermione teased, "I hate you, you know."

Ron quickly turned around and his wide smile had been replaced by a look of a little boy who had just watched his puppy get run over. He started sputtering completely incoherent sounds and was starting to turn a sickly shade of green, so Hermione decided that maybe she shouldn't make him suffer too much.

She walked passed him and headed toward the living room. "You look just too damn chipper this morning, and I didn't sleep worth shite last night."

He let out a laugh and she didn't even have to turn around to look at him to know that he was smiling that same brilliant smile that he had given her many times the evening they had gone for coffee. _'My goodness, was it really only two nights ago? It seems like it was another lifetime ago.'_

"Well, for your information, I slept like shite last night as well. That's one of the little perks of magic…Glamour Charms. You should've seen me twenty minutes ago."

Hermione smiled and giggled a bit, and then the anxiety of the situation hit her. She took a seat at one end of the sofa and waited for Ron to sit on the other end before she spoke. "So, where should this conversation start?"

Ron gave a nervous laugh. "Why wouldn't you want your memories back?"

Hermione felt her eyes go wide. _'Well he definitely gets right to the point, doesn't he?'_ She looked down at her hands and started worrying with her fingernails. She had partially hoped that Ginny wouldn't share that particular piece of their conversation with the two men.

"Well…" Hermione took a deep breath. If she didn't want to make this situation worse than it already was, she needed to be completely honest. "I'm scared."

"Of what? What's so scary about knowing where you really came from and who you really are?"

"This situation is just so unreal. I'm scared that I'm going to end up getting hurt."

Even though she was still looking at her hands, she could see Ron's face pale. His voice quivered slightly when he asked, "Are you scared of me?"

She quickly looked at him and then the tears finally began to make their appearance in her eyes. Her voice was shaky when she said, "Yes and no."

Her heart broke when she saw through her own tears that his eyes had become filled with unshed tears as well. He didn't speak; he just sat there staring at her with pleading eyes .

"It's the unknown, Ron, that I'm scared of. Everything is so unbelievable but believable at the same time. But all that keeps going through my head is why would I willingly let someone do this to me."

Ron was shaking his head. "Hermione…"

She quickly broke him off and she said, "And if you really cared about me as much as Harry and Ginny said you did, why you let someone do this do me."

Ron gasped. "Oh, god, Hermione, I…I…" He was shaking his head and the tears were still sitting in his eyes. Suddenly he closed his eyes and one large tear ran down each cheek. He took one long, drawn out, deep breath and let it out slowly. He quickly wiped his cheeks and looked at her once again.

"Can I show you something? Something that will hopefully make you understand."

Hermione simply nodded her head in the affirmative and then watched as he stood, removed something small and square from his pocket and them sat back down. He placed the small thing that looked suspiciously like a box on the coffee table and tapped it with his wand while muttering something that Hermione didn't understand. She was shocked when the box grew to more than ten times its original size.

When Ron opened the lid to the box, her curiosity got the best of her and she stretched so she could see what was hidden inside. She didn't have to crane her neck too much to see, because Ron removed the item and sat it on the table next to the box. Hermione was completely fascinated with the basin that sat before her and the shimmering liquid that appeared to be inside it. "What is it?"

"This is called a Pensive. It allows a person to remove memories and place them in her for storage or for viewing by themselves or others."

"Does that have my memories in it?"

Ron smiled slightly and said, "No." He reached inside his shirt and pulled out a long gold chain that looked to have a vial attached to the end of it. "You're memories are in here. I've carried them around my neck every since the day they were taken from you. It will take a special type of Pensive to use to return your memories." He tucked the vial back inside his shirt and placed his wand to his temple. "I'm going to use this Pensive to show you one of my memories."

Hermione watched in awe as Ron muttered once again something that she had decided must have been a spell and pulled a smokey, silvery tendril from his temple slowly before placing it into the basin in front of them. He quickly stowed his wand away and closed his eyes, shaking his head slightly.

Hermione's concerned look didn't go unnoticed, because when he looked at her once again, he said, "Only the second time I've ever extracted a memory from myself. Makes you a little dizzy at first." He eased her nerves slightly as he smiled and scooted a little closer to her.

Hermione looked once again into the basin and watched as the contents were now swirling around slightly. "How does it work?"

"Just lean forward and look it. But you have to look very close, close enough that your nose just barely touches the surface. Don't worry, you'll be okay."

Hermione startled a bit when she felt Ron wrap his hand around one of hers but she didn't pull away. She nodded at him, closed her eyes and took her three calming breaths then opened her eyes and leaned forward. Just as she thought that her nose should surely be touching the liquid by now, she was suddenly falling. She was on the verge of screaming when she was suddenly standing in a field of tall grass.

Startled she began to look around quickly, trying to take in her surroundings so that she could discern where she was. She noticed that that countryside was beautiful, like something she'd never seen before. In front of her stood a large tree near a rather small pound. She could see a young man with red hair sitting with his back against the tree, tossing stones into the water.

"That's me."

Hermione screamed then turned quickly to see Ron standing next to her. Her heart racing all she could say was "Huh?"

"Sitting by the tree. That's me almost five years ago. This was my thinking, well actually brooding, spot. Up there…" Hermione turned to look where Ron was pointing only to find a rather odd looking building. "…is the Burrow. That was my childhood home. It's not much but it's home."

"Why are you showing me this memory?"

Ron simply grabbed her hand and intertwined their fingers. "Come on, I'll show you."

Hermione tried not to concentrate too much on the feel of her hand in his or on the feelings that were coursing through her just from his simple touch. He led her to the tree where his younger self was sitting and stopped but didn't release her hand. "Can't he, I mean you, see us?" she whispered.

Ron shook his head and in a normal voice said, "No, and they can't hear us either."

"They?"

Ron nodded back toward the way they had just walked and Hermione followed his eyes to see what he was looking at. She gasped and squeezed his hand a little tighter when she saw a younger version of herself coming down the hill toward them.

"You see," Ron began, "about thirty minutes ago there was a meeting in my mum's kitchen and an announcement was made about then plan to remove your memories." Ron stopped speaking and looked at Hermione with one finger pressed to his lips. He whispered, "Now just watch."

'----------

Hermione sat down in the grass next to Ron and pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. She looked up at Ron who hadn't taken his eyes off the water of the pond. She adverted her gaze to the water as well and said, "You left awfully quick."

"_Yeah, well, I couldn't really stand to listen anymore." Ron's voice was forced and laced with pain._

"_Ron,"_

"_No, Hermione, don't. I…I can't hear it right now."_

_Hermione sighed and leaned over to rest her head on his shoulder. Ron, as though it was instinctive, wrapped his arm around her shoulder and hugged her close, still never taking his eyes from the water. They sat in silence for a few moments before tears were running down Ron's cheeks._

"_Hermione, I've just got you. I can't lose you now. I can't sit back and let them take you away from me." He now appeared to be trying to hold back an all-out sob._

"_Oh, Ron." Hermione whispered before she threw her arms around his neck and was pulled into his lap. They both sat crying and holding each other for some time before Hermione pulled away slightly._

"_Ron, you know it's the only way. I'll be safe and when this is all over we'll be together again."_

"_But what if…"_

"_No, what ifs, Ron. It's been decided and I'm going to do this. If I stay, I'm going to be a liability and I'm not going to be the reason you get yourself killed."_

_Ron opened his mouth, surely to retort, but Hermione cut in once again._

"_Don't argue Ron. You know if I stayed, you would do anything you could to protect me and that would just put you in danger. I've already lost my parents in this war; I am not losing the only other person I've ever loved as much, especially if I could've prevented it."_

"_But Hermione what if…"_

_Hermione quickly put her fingers to Ron's lips and whispered, "Please, Ron, I need to know that you support me in this. I need to know that you believe, because if you doubt that this will work, then I'll doubt and that could only end up with us both dead."_

_Ron swallowed hard and took a deep breath. He gently ran his fingers through her hair and then lightly down her cheek. "I'm behind you one hundred percent if that is what you want." Hermione simply nodded her head, again with tears running down her cheeks. "I love you, Hermione Granger." _

_Ron leaned in and pressed his lips to hers for a gentle kiss that quickly turned desperate._

'---------

Ron watched himself kissing the younger Hermione and felt his chest tighten. He knew that he should have protested more, but she had been right. If she would have stayed, she would've been a target and Ron would've thrown himself in the line of fire, so to speak, to keep her safe and that would've only ended up getting them all killed.

When he saw that the kiss was turning desperate and remembered where this memory was leading he once again spoke to the older Hermione standing next to him. "I think we've seen enough."

Hermione jumped and turned to look at Ron. His heart melted when he saw the tears flowing from her eyes, but she shook her head to agree that she'd seen enough. Ron wiped the tears from her face and suddenly they were sitting back on the sofa.

Ron put his wand to the Pensive, removed the memory, replaced it into his head, placed the Pensive in the box, shrank it once again and placed it back into his pocket. As he sat back down, he noticed that Hermione had her face buried in her hands. "Are you okay?"

Hermione responded with a hushed, "Yes," but didn't remove her hands from her face. Ron wondered if maybe that particular memory wasn't the best one to show her; however, she had wanted to know why he'd let someone take her memories from her.

Ron moved to sit next to Hermione and pulled her into a hug, much like the Ron in his memory had done that day under the tree. He placed a chaste kiss to the top of her head before he gently began to stroke her hair. He was shocked when her voice cut through the silence.

"Thank you."

Ron pulled back and looked down at her with quite a confused expression on his face. "Excuse me?"

Hermione, too, pulled back so that she could look him in the eyes. "Thank you for showing me that. After I learned about our relationship last night, I blamed you for this happening to me. I couldn't begin to understand why you would have willingly let me be put in this situation. I also cursed your existence a few times as well for leaving me a single mom in a strange country." Ron was about to protest that he had no clue that she was pregnant, when Hermione quickly continued. "I'm glad I got to see how you reacted, how much you really did care." She paused a moment and looked down. "I've always been quite stubborn, haven't I?"

Ron couldn't help the laugh that escaped him. He smiled and nodded and said, "Yes, you've always been quite stubborn. And bossy as well."

Hermione smiled before she laid her cheek against his chest. Ron had expected her to pull completely away from him, but he was pleasantly pleased that she didn't. He started the soothing touches down her hair and across her shoulders, reveling in the feel of her in his eyes again.

Once again, she broke the silence.

"I knew." She sat up a pulled slightly out of his arms so that she could turn her body toward him and look directly at him again. "When I kissed you, I felt it and I knew that we were connected in some way. My body was telling me that it knew your touch; that it craved your touch."

She gently ran her fingers over his brow and down his cheek. Ron closed his eyes to relish the feel of her touch. He had longed to feel those fingers caressing his skin again. He slowly opened his eyes to lock eyes with her.

"I need to feel that again." She gently grasped the back of his neck and pulled his mouth to hers.

As their lips met, Ron's eyes fell closed and lights exploded behind his lids. He wasted no time in pulling her into his lap. He knew that he had come her to talk to her; to try to convince her to allow them to return her memories to her. He knew that he really should stop his actions immediately and tell Hermione more about herself and more about him and why he need her to come back to him, but he was too lost in the feelings she was creating in him.

He ran his tongue lightly over her lower lip and they parted for him, beckoning him to deepen the kiss. He immediately complied. It was only a matter of seconds before their tongues were battling for dominance. It aroused Ron even more knowing that she was feeling as desperate as he was.

When she pulled away to breath, he moved his assault to her neck, remembering how much of a weak spot it had been for her the other night when they had begun a similar dance in her backyard. He was so lost in her moans and whimpers and the slight movement of her hips on his lap that he didn't even register that she had unbuttoned his shirt until he felt her hands on his bare chest.

He quickly pulled away to stare up into her eyes. They weren't only pleading with him to do the things that he'd only dreamed about doing for the past five years, her eyes were telling him the one thing he had longed to hear her say since finding her again two nights ago. For now, it was enough to see the love in her eyes; the words could come later.

She ran her fingernails over his chest and then lightly grazed her fingers over the vial lying against it. Hastily she resituated herself so that her right leg went over his knees and she was now straddling his lap. He pulled her mouth back down to his in a crushing kiss. She returned the kiss with equal fervor, but pulled away quickly.

Ron was just about to apologize for being so bold, when his words were lost as she pulled her T-shirt over her head and tossed it unceremoniously to the floor. A smile was just forming across his kiss-swollen lips when she undid the front clasp of her bra and let it fall off her shoulders and onto the floor.

"Beautiful," he said breathlessly before capturing one of her rosy, hardened nipples into his mouth. He was rewarded for his actions when she threw her head back in ecstasy and her hips started bucking against his arousal. He gripped her arse and ground himself into her as he assaulted the other nipple.

"Oh, god," she moaned. "Ron, please."

That was all the invitation that he needed. In one swift movement, he had flipped their positions so that she was now lying on the sofa and he was nestled between her legs. He worked frantically on the button and zip of her jeans and she helped him push them and her knickers down her hips. He rose up onto his knees and moved so that he could completely remove the last of her clothing.

He stopped to admire her body, noticing a blush starting to creep up her neck under his appraising glare. She was more gorgeous than he had remembered. He felt his hardened cock twitch in anticipation. "Absolutely beautiful," he whispered.

With one leg pinned between the sofa and his body, Ron watched as Hermione placed the other foot on the floor and then sat up, claiming his mouth in a searing kiss as she worked to remove his pants. Once she got them undone and pushed slightly down his hips, she shocked him by shoving her hand inside his boxers and grasping his aching cock.

This time it was Ron who threw his head back in ecstasy. His arousal was beyond painful and now it was being teased by Hermione's tentative caresses. He couldn't take anymore. He gently pulled her hand out of his shorts, pushed her away and stood, quickly pushing his jeans and boxers down his legs and stepping out of them before he pounced back on her, capturing her lips in the most heated kiss they had ever shared.

She quickly wrapped her legs around his waist and was attempting to pull him into her heat. He could feel how eager and ready she was and was about ready to slide home when a thought suddenly occurred to him. He jumped back up to his feet quickly and bent to retrieve his jeans from the floor.

His action was met with Hermione's trembling voice. "Ron?"

He turned to see that she had a look on her face that was a mixture of rejection and embarrassment. He quickly pulled his wand out of his pocket, mutter the incantation that he needed, threw his wand to the floor and then once again pounced but this time on a very confused Hermione.

He began kissing her once again, but when she didn't respond he pulled back to see a questioning look on her face. He smiled and answered her unasked question. "Contraception Charm. You know, a spell to stop, well you know."

Ron watched as realization flashed across her face. She smiled coyly at him and said, "Yeah, we don't want to forget that…again."

Ron returned the smile then attacked her mouth again with his. Quickly he was once again nestled between her legs and she was nudging him along with her foot against his arse. He broke the kiss only to reach between their bodies and position himself at her entrance. She caressed his face once again and nodded slightly.

They both gasped at the feeling as he entered her tightness. With his eyes closed, he stilled his movements for a moment to savor the feeling of once again being inside the woman he loved. He opened his eyes and watched her without moving until she did the same. With all his weight on one arm, he ran his other hand down Hermione's cheek and softly said, "You know, you and me, we're pretty good together." He waggled his eyebrows a bit and she blushed. He turned serious again and made the declaration his body had been aching to make since right around midnight two nights again, "I love you, Hermione Granger."

He watched as she took a sharp breath but then smiled at him. He was about to panic when he saw tears beginning to form in her eyes, but her words washed those feelings away.

"I…I love you too."

He crushed his lips to hers again and then their bodies were moving together and he knew that no matter where he was regionally, at that moment, he was home.

'----------

Reviews not only welcomed, they're encouraged!


	10. Chapter 9 Listen to Your Heart

**Please Remember Me**

Disclaimer : The _Harry Potter _characters in this story belong to J.K. Rowling. Many thanks to her for letting them roam about in the world I created for a bit.

First off, I once again want to thank everyone that reviewed. You're praise is very encouraging and it's what makes me feel guilty when I don't updated as quickly as you all would like.

Secondly, I would like to apologize for the delay and for the shortness in this particular chapter compared to the others. As for the delay, a sick child and being short staffed at work last week pretty much kept me away from my computer. As for the length of this chapter, sometimes that's just how the cards fall.

Finally, if you haven't seen Goblet of Fire yet, do it! Personally, I think it's the best movie thus far (but I also think the fourth book is by far the best as well). The one thing I liked best about it was that I thought that it was must better adapted from the book than Prisoner of Azkaban was, which is saying a lot since the book was nearlytwice as thick.

Well, anyway, I'll get off my soap box. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

CHAPTER 9 – Listen to Your Heart

Hermione gasped as Ron entered her depths. Instantly her eyes closed as she willed her body to relax at the slightly painful, yet much desired, invasion. She hadn't been with a man since she had come to the States; one of the guys she'd dated at first had almost succeeded in bedding her, but deep in her heart she felt that such actions would be betraying someone. Then she'd found out that she was pregnant and could at least understand the betraying someone bit; it was everything else that didn't make a bloody bit of sense. That wasn't to say that she hadn't taken care of her _needs_, herself, a few times…a week. But this; this was the most amazing feeling she had ever experienced, well that she could remember anyway.

Momentarily she wondered what it would be like for someone else to bring her to a climax. She hoped that he'd make her climax. They hadn't beat around the bush, so to speak, with foreplay, so she really wasn't sure what to expect. It was just that the need to be connected so intimately with each other had been too great.

Just as she was trying to commit to memory the feel of every inch of him inside of her, she realized that he wasn't moving. She opened her eyes to find him staring at her with his eyes filled with such emotion.

He gently caressed her face before a smile spread across his face, and he softly said, "You know, you and me, we're pretty good together." He followed up the statement with a waggle of his eyebrows at her.

She tried really hard not to blush, but it was a futile attempt. This was the most intimate that she could ever remember being with a man. Suddenly a thought occurred to her and had it not been for his next comment, Hermione probably would've started to feel extremely uncomfortable. _'What if I'm not as good as he remembers? What if I don't measure up to the other women he's been with? Have there been other women?_'

Before she could ponder the thoughts too closely, she noticed that his look had turned serious and his eyes were full of passion and desire and something else that she didn't want to name for fear of getting hurt, because in such a short time of knowing this man, she was quickly falling head over heels, and she just knew that would lead her to a broken heart. She already knew that she was probably going to break his heart, but she didn't want to think about that right now.

However, there was no denying what the look meant when she actually heard him say the words. "I love you, Hermione Granger."

She took in a sharp breath but recovered quickly by smiling up at him. She felt her eyes fill with tears. She couldn't begin to count the number of times she had wished to hear those words coming from any man. Before yesterday morning, she didn't think she would ever hear anyone call her by her real name, let alone pledging her their love. She couldn't believe that she felt it…love…this soon with this man. She couldn't just say it, could she? It was way too soon to be professing love to this man. _'What if it's just lust I'm feeling?' _But then another voice sounded in her head._ 'But it's not. You feel it in your heart as well as in your loins. Listen to your heart.'_

She saw a look of panic begin to cross his face and she knew in that moment that she needed to say it too, because she did feel it. Even though voicing the words was strained from the raw emotion she was feeling, saying the words seemed so natural.

"I…I love you too."

Then Ron's mouth was devouring hers and he was moving inside her and she let go of all thought and listened to what he heart was telling her to feel and what her body was telling her it needed as she began to move with him.

And the feeling was absolutely brilliant.

'----------

Ron was quite thankful for his young age and the stamina that came with it because it wasn't long after he and Hermione started moving as one that he was spilling his seed deep inside her. He felt slightly guilty for not taking the time before hand to bring her to a climax…to completely worship her beautiful body, but he desperately needed to be inside her. He half thought that she was disappointed when he had reached his peak so quickly, because she planted her hands on his shoulders and started to push him away.

On the contrary, she was far from disappointed and Ron was completely stunned when she wasn't simply pushing him away. No, the beauty that lay below him was pushing him until his back was against the sofa and she was straddling his body.

She kissed him hungrily and then began to rain kisses all over his face and neck. He was already on his way to being painfully aroused again when she started assaulting his nipples with her tongue causing him to begin to wither underneath her.

"Fuck, 'Mione! I need to be inside you again," he said breathlessly.

He was thankful that she didn't make him beg. She reached between their bodies to position him at her entrance once more before sinking onto his renewed erection until fully sheathed. Then she was riding him at a slow pace and it was driving him crazy.

Not long after, he knew he was quickly approaching release again, and he had decided that he was not going to win this race this time, at least not until she did. He slid his hand down her abdomen, from his teasing of her hardened nipples, to the place just above where their bodies were joined. No sooner than pressure was applied, Hermione was bucking wildly as she reached climax with her inner muscles clenching around him and milking the second wave of pleasure from him.

She had collapsed on top of him, panting heavily, and they had been in that position ever since. She was lying with her cheek resting on his chest with her eyes closed while she lazily played with the fringe of hair behind one of his ears. He also lay with his eyes closed with one arm wrapped tightly around her waist and the other hand absently stroked her hair and down her back. For the first time in years, he felt complete and he was going to enjoy the feel as long as Hermione stayed where she was.

Ron was just on the verge of sleep when Hermione sat up quickly and he flinched at the cold that surrounded his body.

"Shit!"

"What's wrong, love?" Ron asked as his eyes raked over her body, really looking at her naked form for the first time since they had removed their clothing and starting to feel the beginnings of yet another stirring in his loins.

Hermione quickly disentangled herself from Ron and the sofa and quickly started sifting through the clothes on the floor, clearly looking for hers.

"Shit, shit, shit! Where are my knickers?"

Ron sat up watching Hermione, quite confused as to what was going on. He noticed that she was about to become quite panicked, when he spotted the missing undergarment lying under the table that sat in front of the sofa. He bent down and retrieved them.

"Here you go, love. Now will you tell me what's wrong?"

She was now hurriedly throwing on her clothes. "I've got to go. I have to pick Daniel and Emma up from preschool in twenty minutes. I can't believe I almost forgot them."

Ron was flabbergasted that Hermione was on the verge of tears. He stood to pull her into an embrace. "It's alright." He had just reached out to her, when she snapped at him causing him to cower away a bit.

"No, it is not alright, Ron. I almost forgot them. They mean more to me than anything and I almost forgot them." Hermione collapsed onto a nearby chair that matched the sofa and began sobbing nearly uncontrollably.

Lightning fast, Ron found himself on his knees, kneeling in front of his sobbing friend…lover…whatever they were…pulling her into an embrace. "Shhh, love."

He had just began to stroke her hair when she pulled away quite abruptly. She hastily wiped the tears from her eyes and off of her cheeks.

"I'm so sorry, Ron. I didn't mean to go all mental on you." Ron used every ounce of his will power not to laugh and tell her that she'd always been a bit mental, but decided now was not the time for an inside joke that she would have no memory of sharing with him and Harry, so he let her continue on. "That's never happened to me before, not in the four and a half years that they've been in my life, I've always been completely conscious of them. I just got so self-absorbed there for a moment and it really scared me…still does."

Ron gave her a warm smile and said, "Well, you didn't forget them, completely. You've still got time to get to them, right? They'll never know that for a few moments their Mum was, for once in probably her entire life, thinking solely of herself."

Hermione just closed her eyes and nodded in response.

"Why don't we go pick them up together and then go to that little park just down the way. They'd like that, wouldn't they?"

"Oh, Ronald." Hermione sighed. "I can't. After I pick them up, I have to drop them off at daycare so I can go to this lecture I have this afternoon."

Ron smiled cheekily at her and said, "Now come on, love. Can't you just skive off the bloody lecture?"

"No, Ronald! I can't just 'skive off.' This lecture is very important to my studies; not to mention, my grade will be docked if I don't attend. If I ever plan on getting out of the _Randy Buffalo_ and into a decent law firm, I can't be lackadaisical with any of my course work and that includes this 'bloody lecture',"

Ron was quickly on his feet and was pacing a bit. "Look, Hermione, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to start a row. Obviously you think this is very important. I just don't see what the whole point of going to this lecture and worrying about your grades is when by the end of the week you'll be back home in England with us."

Ron knew he had made a mistake in stating what he felt was the obvious when she had sprung up from the chair and was standing directly in front of him, looking quite perturbed.

"Excuse me?" Her eyes were full of fire.

"Well, honestly, what is the point? You've already agreed to take your memories back. You weren't planning on staying in this blasted country afterwards, were you?"

Ron wished he had a time turner, when she advanced on him, poking his chest as she accentuated her points. He'd made Hermione mad before, loads of times actually, but the last time he had succeeded in making her this mad, she had set a bunch of conjured canaries loose on him.

"Firstly, I haven't agreed to anything! Shagging our brains out for the last hour was not an agreement to anything, except perhaps that we were both as randy as hell and acted on what feelings we obviously have for one another."

"Secondly, if I do, in fact, take my memories back, which I am honestly considering, that is in no way agreeing to leave behind what life I've created here, not to mention uprooting the twins."

"Thirdly, and pay close attention to this one, Ronald. Getting my memories back only changes who I was. It does not, in any way what-so-ever, change who I am now nor who I want to be."

Ron knew he should be cowering at her incensed actions. He knew from years of row after row and not being on speaking terms that he should just keep his mouth shut, because anything that came out of his mouth right now would do nothing to extinguish the angry fire that was brewing. But, dammit, she had hacked him off.

"Look, obviously, I've assumed some things that I shouldn't have, but you can't stand there and tell me that you plan on keeping my children from me?"

"Well, obviously, you have assumed some things that you surely shouldn't have, and _**if**_ you are Dan and Em's father, I don't plan on keeping you from them. But we'll be making some compromises. I will not be packing up my life for your convenience."

Ron suddenly felt bile rising in his throat. He just knew that he was the father of the twins. Hell, even that Mark bloke, thought that Ron was the father. Even though Hermione didn't have any memory of being with him, intimately, to conceive the children, her emphasizing the _if_ in her statement made Ron think that she believed that there was another bloke that could possibly be the father. _'Fuck! How many blokes has she shagged since she was dropped off here?'_

Hermione adjusted the last of her clothing, quickly put her hair up in a knot on the top of her head and turned her back on him. He only barely registered that she was speaking once again, when fear, self-doubt and complete dread washed over him. In the absence of complete brain function and rationality, he did the one thing that he really hadn't done in a long while. He listened to his heart, and in this moment, it was telling him to get as far away from this situation as was bodily possible.

Just as Hermione was turning back around to face him, he was gone with a _pop_.

'----------

Reviews not only welcomed; they're encouraged!

'----------

A/N - Okay, for all of those that have their wands drawn and are about ready to hex me into next week for ruining a perfectly romantic and sweet moment between Hermione and Ron, please remember one thing….they're relationship has ALWAYS been quite volatile! What makes you think that five years apart from one another would change that. If it shows nothing else, it shows that even without Hermione's memories of growing up with Ron and with Ron's elation of finally finding Hermione, that the chemistry between the two of them is still the same. And unfortunately, Ron and Hermione are the types that sometime react perfectly together and sometimes react with quite a messy explosive.

The next chapter, _Welcome to My Life_, will hopefully not take as long to write. Or I guess I should say that I hope that I don't have as many delays and distractions. As I've stated before, this story has become an entity in itself and it has gone in many different directions than when I originally intended. I hope this next chapter will take us through Hermione getting her memories back. Because, yes, she will take her memories back, because our Hermione would overanalyze the entire situation and find that it would just be ridiculous to not want to remember who she really was. That doesn't mean that things will be easy.

Thanks again to all my loyal fans! I hope I continue to provide you with material that you find interesting!


	11. Chapter 10 Welcome to My Life

**Please Remember Me**

Disclaimer : The _Harry Potter _characters in this story belong to J.K. Rowling. Many thanks to her for letting them roam about in the world I created for a bit.

Once I again want to thank everyone that reviewed. You're praise is very encouraging and it's what makes me feel guilty when I don't updated as quickly as you all would like. Although, I must say that I'm rather impressed with being able to update so quickly this time around.

We are nearing the end of our journey where this story is concerned, but do not fear, we are not there yet. I've also been working on tweaking the very first fanfic that I ever wrote and hope to build off of that for another story that will hopefullly please as well as this one has.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

CHAPTER 10 – Welcome To My Life

It was unseasonably warm in Boston for this late in the summer, or so Ron had been told probably a dozen times in the past two hours by Mark who had been stepping out onto the front porch to check on the redhead's mood. Ron decided that it was lack of anything else to say that left the Bostonian talking about the weather. After all, Ron wasn't the _'Great Harry Potter.'_"

Currently Ron was sitting on the front steps of a house that he hoped that after tonight, he'd never have to see again. His eyes were closed and his face was buried in his hands. He was attempting to do those ruddy mind-clearing exercises that Ginny had learned from Luna Longbottom. His breaths were even and he was trying to focus only on the sound of the dog that was barking a few houses down the street. All the exercise was accomplishing was giving him a sodding headache.

Ron let out a long sigh. He had really mucked things up with Hermione and he'd further added to the mess by not coming around to see her since that afternoon they'd made love for the first time in years; that had been Monday.

Now it was a blistering Wednesday afternoon and he hadn't spoke one word to her since, and he hated himself for it. He hated that he had managed to revert back to the sixteen-year-old prat that managed to say exactly the wrong thing at the wrong time and then dealt with the situation with avoidance. He hated that he was once again the reason that Hermione cried. Harry and Ginny had both told him that each time they had stopped by to check on Hermione, she had looked liked she'd spent several hours crying even though she insisted that nothing was wrong. Ron knew in his heart that he was the reason for her obvious despair.

But most of all, Ron hated that he was absolutely terrified of having the twins in his life and at the same time was terrified that they wouldn't be a part of his life. He had tried to make an attempt to spend time with them when he had suggested that he, Hermione and the children go to the park on Monday. _'Didn't she know how bloody hard that was for me to ask?'_ But that suggestion had just ended in disaster.

Ron still couldn't get over how much Emma seemed to be a perfect mix of him and Hermione. He hadn't even met Daniel, but Ginny, who had spent Monday evening trying to clean up Ron's mess before completing the final step in the potion making for the Pensive, had said that it was eerie how much he looked exactly like Ron when he was little but seemed to have that spark of mischief that had obviously been inherited from his Uncles Fred and George.

That fact in itself made Ron want nothing more to scoop up the little red-haired angels and take them home. His family had suffered so much loss during the war and Fred hadn't been the same since he had lost both Angelina and George in the final battle against Voldemort. They needed a breath of new life to lift their spirits.

Ron let out another long sigh. The family would be getting that new life here in the next few weeks when Ginny gave birth to little James, and they had all had time to get used to the idea, nearly nine months to be exact. Ron knew he was being horribly selfish, but part of him was quite hacked off that he didn't get nine months to get used to the idea of being a dad. It also upset him that he had missed so many of their firsts and that he wasn't going to have the trial and error period that parents get to go through before the kids start talking back to them. He just knew that the twins would tell him he couldn't seem to do anything right and, of course, it would be in that bossy, know-it-all tone they had certainly inherited from their mother. And, naturally, they'd be absolutely dead-on!

The screen door closing brought Ron out of his reverie. _'Yes, Mark, it's still bloody hot out.'_

"Hey, mate."

Ron jumped when he heard Harry speak. He looked over at his friend who was in the process of sitting down next to him. "Hey. So how're things going in there?"

"I suppose alright. Haven't seen anything of Remus or Ginny since they began the reintegration process. I guess that's a good thing, though. Right? If there had been any complications, they would have had to transport her to _Seer of Mercy Hospital for Magical Injuries and Illness_, right?"

Ron chuckled and he saw Harry quirk an eyebrow at him. Ron gave a weak smile and said, "That's almost as much of a mouth full as _St. Mungo's_."

Harry gave a light laugh and said, "I guess so." Then he turned serious again. "She asked for you, you know, before they kicked me and Mark out of the room and sealed the door. You hurt her…again."

Ron groaned and quickly put his face back into his hands. "I know it, mate. I'm a huge, sodding prick. It's like I haven't grown up at all. I still manage to bugger everything between me and Hermione up because I've got my thick head lodged up my arse!"

"Well, I just hope she can forgive you for this one, mate, 'cause she's going to need you when this is all over. Remus was saying that she could have a number of reactions to having her memories back. She's definitely going to need love and support and someone…"

"…there for her that won't fuck things up. I think she'll need anybody but me then!"

"Ron. The two of you have been through a lot and most much worse than this. When she has her memories back, she'll be able to better understand why you've been a right git the past few days. She'll know that its all completely normal."

That was enough to make Ron looked up out of his hands and give Harry a scathing look. "Gee, thanks, mate!"

"Things will work out how you want them, Ron. They always do eventually."

"That's the thing, though. I don't know _what_ I want." They sat in silence for a moment and watched a group of kids across the street throwing water balloons at each other.

Ron broke the silence. "I had a meeting with Shacklebolt today…yesterday…oh hell, I don't know, sometimes I hate this damn time change thing."

Harry chuckled a bit. "So you finally got your chewing out for…oh how did he put it… for disrespecting the sanctity of Auror leadership."

Ron looked at Harry and scoffed. "You mean to tell me that the Great, Almighty, All-Powerful Harry Potter has been accused of disrespecting the _sanctity_…" Ron stopped short when his best mate punched him in the shoulder.

Ron felt the smile sliding from his face as the dread set in once again turning him serious once more. When he spoke next it was as if he was speaking to the air rather than anyone in particular.

"First Class Supervising Agent."

"Huh?'

"Shacklebolt. He offered me First Class Supervising Agent. He said that he's been quite impressed with our performances and was pleased with both of our performances in the capture of Defoe and our leadership abilities even though we both shirked our duties by not showing up for debriefing, but he understood the circumstances. He said that I had the other qualities he was looking for to fill the position."

Ron focused on the grains in the cement of the step that his feet were resting on. He couldn't see the hurt look on Harry's face but he could hear the wounded tone in his voice when he asked, "Other qualities?" Ron knew that Harry would be feel overlooked.

Ron forced himself to look at his friend so that Harry could see that these other qualities weren't anything to be jealous of. "Yeah. He said that the position requires a lot of long, extra hours; a lot of additional international traveling; and a lot of sacrifices to luxuries. He said that it's the perfect opportunity for me since I didn't have any personal attachments like a wife or children. He said that he couldn't even remember ever hearing anything about me being in any sort of serious relationship."

Ron saw pity fill Harry's eyes. "But he knows we found Hermione. I don't understand."

"Well, apparently, Kingsley is the one of the three British wizards that doesn't know about my history with our best mate." Ron went back to staring at the cement step.

"So what did you tell him?"

"I didn't give him an answer. I asked him if I could wait to give him my answer until after we had finished everything with the spell to return Hermione's memories. I told him that making sure that she was safe was my first priority. He said he'd give me until the first of the week."

"So what are you going to do?"

"Hell if I know, Harry! What exactly am I supposed to do?" Once again, Ron disappeared behind the palms of his hands, fighting against the tears that had been threatening to come for nearly three days.

"Well, let's do our best mate some justice here and make a list. Where's your quill and parchment, mate?" Harry asked cheekily.

Harry received a glare from Ron. "Glad you can see the humor in my troubles."

"Okay, so no parchment…you best be taking mental notes then." Harry chuckled and dodged as Ron attempted to smack the back of his head.

"Harry, come on. This is serious."

"Ron. We stood together in front of the greatest evil of our time and survived. You've got to look at the lighter side of life."

"Well if you can find it in mine, mate, I'll look at it."

"Well, then, you are just on the verge of giving up finding the only woman you've ever loved only to find Hermione singing in a Muggle bar in the States. You finally profess your love to said woman for the first time in nearly five years in words _and_ in actions only to end up in a shouting match in yet another famous Weasley-Granger row. Then to top things off, you're offered a job that every Auror would kill for basically because you're unattached, but you're left to decided how to handle being a father of four-and-a-half year old twins." Harry paused as if to reconsider everything he had just stated. "You're right, mate. There is no lighter side there."

Ron scoffed once again and said, "Yeah, welcome to my life!"

'----------

Hermione sat on the edge of the bed in the guestroom next to Mark, whom had his arm wrapped possessively around her waist. As always, he had been absolutely wonderful to her the last couple of days. She'd done more crying than she would like to admit, and Mark was right there holding her, making her tea and offering her tissues. He had been so great to her that it made her feel even more guilty when she sat wishing that it was Ron's arms that she was in. But of course if it hadn't been for Ron, she wouldn't have needed to be comforted.

She had been so mad at him when she had turned around Monday afternoon, getting ready to ask him to leave and he was already gone. She had spent the entire trip across town to the sitters trying to explain to Daniel and Emma why her eyes were all red and watery. Then as she walked across campus to Walker Lecture Hall, she was to the point of seething with anger at him and his childish behavior.

It was all she could do to focus on the lecture material. Thankfully she had composed herself by the end of the lecture for the meeting with Mr. Banyan and Dr. Calcaveccia. She thought that everything had went well there, but the two gentlemen had told her that it would probably be the end of the week before they had any more information for her. So once she was back in the car and heading back to the daycare, her mind was free to go over the events of that morning, and she again found herself explaining away her tears to her children.

Hermione was finally able to set aside her anger after she received a visit from Ginny that evening just as she had finished washing the supper dishes. Ginny spent a good time belittling her brother's behavior before she made Hermione look at things from Ron's point of view. Her anger had quickly disappeared and was replaced intense grief and misery. Ginny had explained that Hermione's emotions, where Ron was concerned, were always extreme and obviously things hadn't changed.

That evening after a nearly awkward moment when Daniel had come down to get a drink and asked Ginny who she was and Ginny simply said she was a friend of his mum's, Hermione understood that the confusion that Ron must be feeling over the situation must be overwhelming. In the few seconds before Ginny had told Daniel that she was just a friend and not his Aunt, confusion ran rampant through Hermione's mind. How could she begin to explain to her son who the red haired woman sitting with his mummy was. Things were going to get very difficult for not only her but for everyone in her life and Ron's as well.

Tuesday dawned a new day that Hermione went through as if nothing were different with the exception that she was constantly waiting for Ron to pop up. He never did. That evening just after she had tucked her little redheads into bed, she had nearly fallen and broken her neck as she ran down the stairs to answer the door. She hoped beyond hope that it was Ron so she could rectify what had happened between them the day before.

Her heart broke when she opened the door to find Harry, and she couldn't explain why but she was suddenly in tears and in his arms as he attempted to comfort her. When she had calmed down, he explained that it was in Ron's nature to be a prat and that she need not worry because he always came around. He had brought with him one of those basins that showed memories and they spent a couple hours watching memories of his from when they were in school together. He warned her before showing her the last memory that it would probably upset her but she needed to see it. He was right on both accounts.

Even now sitting here watching Ginny and a man who had once been a Professor of hers, back in magic school that is, get ready to return her memories, it was all she could think about. Harry had shown her the memory of finding that nice woman who had dropped her off with the Chase family dead in the middle of a dirt road. There was a man grasping the body tightly and howling a horrendous sob. The man from the memory looked very much like this man, Remus, who would be helping perform the magic here tonight.

However, it was the sight of Ron, ten meters away, on his knees screaming at the sky with tears flowing freely down his face. He kept alternating between screaming "NO" and "Bring her back! You've got to bring her back!" When they had exited the memory, Harry had explained that the woman was the secret-keeper of Hermione's location…the only secret-keeper. So it wasn't the dead woman that Ron was pleading to the heavens above to be returned, it was her…Hermione.

"Hermione?"

She jumped slightly, pulled from her reverie by Ginny's soft voice full of concern. She simply smiled up at the woman, her friend, and said, "I'm fine." She received a warm but sad smile in return.

She heard the phone ringing down the hall in the master bedroom and automatically started to stand. Mark put a hand on her shoulder and said, "I'll get it." He kissed her quickly on the forehead and said, "You'll be just fine, love."

He started to exit the room as the phone rang a second time.

"Mark, if there's something wrong with the twins then…"

"The twins are fine and you know the Chases are more than capable of taking care of them for an evening."

Hermione watched Mark exit the room while Harry entered. Before joining her on the edge of the bed, she watched him hand his wife the vial that Hermione had seen hanging from Ron's neck just a two days ago. Her spirits suddenly lifted slightly. He was here. She closed her eyes a moment and tried to reach out and feel his aura. She knew it was a silly notion but she attempted to believe that if she was truly a magical being that such a thing was possible. It at least worked to calm her nerves momentarily.

She opened her eyes once she felt the edge of the bed dip where Harry had sat down next to her. She looked expectantly at the green-eyed man sitting to her left and quietly asked, "Is he coming up?"

Harry frowned and pushed a stray lock of hair behind her right ear. "No, love, he's not. I left him at the hotel."

Hermione felt the tears start forming in her eyes but nodded as if telling Harry she understood, but she didn't.

"I was kinda hoping to clear somethings before…"her voice broke as the tears began to fall.

Harry pulled her into a tight embrace. She returned the hug before she quickly pulled away and worked to compose herself. She frantically rubbed her cheeks and eyes dry of the tears. Quickly, Harry grabbed the sides of her face with both of his hands and looked her in the eyes.

"Everything is going to be fine. You'll see." Harry pulled her into another hug and then stood up to leave.

Hermione quickly grabbed his hand. "Harry, please, make sure he's here when it's all over. Please."

Harry nodded. He shut the door behind him as he left, and Hermione watched Ginny step toward the door. She pulled out what Hermione now knew to be her wand and muttered a couple of phrases that Hermione thought sounded a lot like Latin and assumed that they must be some sort of spell.

"What was that?"

Ginny smiled. "Spells to lock the door and shield the room. We don't want to be interrupted."

Hermione just nodded.

Remus pulled a chair in front of Hermione and sat down. "Okay, Hermione, Ginny is working on transferring your memories from the vial to the Pensive. I understand that both Ron and Harry have shown you the use of the Pensive."

"Yes, sir," she said in a small voice.

"Well the concept of what we are doing here today is much the same, except that due to the amount of memories and the fact that they've been condensed in the holding vial for so long, the potion we had to fill the basin with has some volatile properties, meaning that we have to be extremely careful."

"So in order to take every precaution, I'm going to give you some tea that contains a low level sleeping drought to sedate you with. Then I'm going to perform a spell that will bind your body and silence you. Basically, you're body will be paralyzed; however, you'll be in a dreamlike state so you won't even notice. These acts are simply for all of our safety. Do you understand?"

Hermione answered her old Professor's question with a nod.

"Now, as we are reintroducing the memories, it should appear that you jumping from dream to dream to dream. Because this can lead to somewhat of an overload of information, it's suggested that we leave you sedated for at least twelve in order for all the new information to be processed."

Hermione once again just nodded. Her entire body was feeling numb from fear. The only other time she had felt such overwhelming dread was the day her doctor had told her they found two heartbeats in her womb. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. _'Just calm down. You've survived being a single mum to twins. You'll survive this. You trust Ginny and you don't feel as if you shouldn't trust Remus either.'_

"Hermione, there's one more thing you should know about the procedure. We are dealing with very old Magic here. You had all this explained to you before you agreed to have your memories removed, but of course you don't remember that."

For the first time since he sat down in front of her, the man smiled at her.

"With anything magical or even medical in the Muggle world, there is a chance for something to go wrong. The biggest risk with this reintegration is that the flood of memories will be too great that it will affect your sanity or Merlin forbid will cause death, but I don't see that as being an issue here."

"Now, because there's too much risk in removing the false memories and those of events since the original procedure, you may experience moments of confusion, possibly throughout the rest of your life, where you'll have memories that conflict with one another. However, these could simply leave you with the same feelings you get from a dream that seems overly real. So before we proceed, I just need to make sure that this is still what you want to do?"

Again, Hermione chose to answer non-verbally, because she knew that her voice would betray her. She had already been aware of the risks. On her visit Monday evening, Ginny had explained them to her thoroughly. Ginny promised her as a friend that she wouldn't let any of that happen to her, but she also promised that if anything did go wrong that Ginny would make sure that Daniel and Emma would be taken care of.

The last thought that Hermione had before she was properly sedated was that she had to be strong and make it through this for Dan and Em and for Ron, too.

'----------

She felt as if she was standing in a small, darkened room that was painted black and had no doors or windows. She was standing in the center of this tiny room, frozen in place and the only thing on her body that seemed to be able to move were her eyes. She frantically looked in every direction her eyes would go, searching for any semblance of light in this darkness.

Suddenly the room was filled with a blinding white light and Hermione quickly shut her eyes at the pain that shot through her head. When the throbbing began to ease, she slowly opened her eyes to find images flashing on the wall in front of her as well as in her peripheral vision on the walls to the left and the right.

She desperately tried to focus on anyone image and realized that they were images of her and those that she knew and loved. There were images of train rides and three-headed dogs. There where images of rats and cats and spiders and snakes. There were images of uniforms and formal wear. There were images of emerald eyes and ruby hair. So many images that kept flashing faster and faster, all around her and rapidly the pain in her head was nearing unbearable.

Then her entire body felt like it was on fire and then sharp pain and then nothing. The room was dark again. In the dark state, all Hermione could think of was that phrase her father used to always use jokingly about his life flashing before his eyes. There was one last thought that filtered through her mind as she slipped into emptiness.

_'I'm dead.'_

'----------

As always, reviews not only welcomed…they're encouraged!

Also, I know, I know…I'm evil for leaving all of you hanging. But the good news is that the next chapter is the one that I've been looking forward to writing since I first began this story, so I've already got most of it planned out…it just needs to be actually composed. Secondly, with the holiday here in the States, I'll have a little bit of free time to focus on the story and hope to have it to you by the weekend.


	12. Chapter 11 Goodbye To You

**Please Remember Me**

Disclaimer : The _Harry Potter _characters in this story belong to J.K. Rowling. Many thanks to her for letting them roam about in the world I created for a bit. The song lyrics in the story are from Michelle Branch's song "Goodbye to You." Song lyrics are in italics and in quotes.

Once I again want to thank everyone that reviewed. You're praise is very encouraging. Just one more chappie and the epilogue left and this little journey will end. It's been a fantastic ride!

Enjoy!

CHAPTER 11 – Goodbye To You

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have some sad news and for the regular patrons of the _Randy Buffalo _it's nearly down right devastatingOur lovely English rose has left us," Joe said into the microphone from behind his drum set, his voice filled with mocking grief. Hermione just looked at Mark sitting to her left and rolled her eyes. "Well, she hasn't really left us yet, but she turned her notice into Gary last night because she feels that it's her duty to move on to bigger and better things. But we've decided we're not going to let her go without one last song. So get your ass up here on this stage, Randi!"

Hermione heard Mark chuckle beside her as she smiled across the table at her raven-haired and redheaded friends. With the crowd screaming and applauding, she stood and made her way onto the stage. She glared at Joe for his use of that horrid nickname but then gave him a sad smile and a nod. She had already discussed with him earlier that evening which song she was going to sing.

She stepped up to speak into the microphone. "How many times have I told you not to call me that?" The room was filled with laughter from the crowd, which was filled with many of the Saturday night regulars.

"But seriously, you've all been really great and I'm going to miss this place. I've been working on the song that I've chosen to sing tonight for a few weeks now, and I thought it was more than appropriate for tonight. I hope you enjoy it."

The band started playing and she closed her eyes a moment to still the emotions that were welling up inside of her. She chanted a few seconds that she was not going to allow herself to cry. With a deep breath she began but even as she sang, her mind couldn't help but wander.

"_Of all the things I believed in, I just wanna get it over with"_

"_Tears form behind my eyes, but I do not cry"_

"_Counting the days that pass me by"_

'----------

When Hermione had fallen into the black emptiness, she was sure that she had died. As she became aware of the growing brightness behind her eyelids, she was overjoyed to feel alive. Struggling into consciousness, it was as if her entire being was waking up from a long nap. She felt whole for the first time in years.

She slowly opened her eyes, only to close them again quickly when her vision was assaulted by bright sunlight filtering in through the window to her right. She groaned as searing pain shot from her temples to deep inside her head. She was startled by the sudden shifting of the mattress next to her.

" 'Mione?" Tears instantly filled her eyes as her heart filled with emotion and she slowly opened her eyes to find Ron, _her_ Ron, sitting on the edge of the bed looking very nervous. When he gently ran his fingers down her cheek, she bolted up off the bed and into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Oh, Ron. I remember. I remember." She squeezed her arms tighter around him and buried her face in the crook of his neck.

'----------

"_I've been searching deep down in my soul"_

"_Words that I'm hearing are starting to get old"_

"_Feels like I'm starting all over again"_

"_The last three years were just pretend"_

'----------

She didn't know how long she stayed in Ron's arms with both alternating between holding each other and crying and kissing passionately. When their emotions had calmed down, she told him that she was so scared that she had died. She explained how she had had flashes of events in her life and then suddenly it was dark and she felt emptiness wash over her. He explained that when she had experienced that particular sensation was when the memories had all been returned and Ginny had force-fed her some Dreamless Sleeping Draught.

They sat in silence for several moments just staring into one another's eyes before Ron spoke.

"Hermione, I am so sorry." She started to protest, but he placed a finger to her lips to quiet her. "I am so sorry that it took so long to find you, but I never gave up hope of finding you even when I had to give up the search. Harry and my family refused to let me spend my entire life looking for you. They told me that you wouldn't want me to throw everything away like that. But it hurt like hell…to give up the search. I'm so, so sorry. Please forgive me!" With a muffled sob, Ron buried his face in her lap.

Hermione instantly started running her hand through his fiery locks attempting to calm him much in the same way she did with one of the twins when they were upset. "Ron, you have nothing to be sorry about. You did your best. You never gave up on me and that means more than I can put into words. You don't know how sorry I am about the twins." This time it was her turn to put a finger to his lips to shush him. "I'm not sorry I have the twins and I'm definitely not sorry that you gave them to me. I'm sorry that you had to find out about your son and daughter the way you did. I'm sorry that you've had to miss so much of their lives already."

Ron tightened his embrace of her waist as she leaned over to rest her head on his shoulders. The position wasn't all that comfortable, but as long as he stayed where he was, she wasn't moving. When he finally sat up, he said, "I think there are a few people downstairs who'd like to see you."

They made their way down the stairs, hand in hand, and as they entered the kitchen Hermione was smiling ear-to-ear when she locked eyes with her other best friends. Ginny was quickly on her feet and embracing Hermione. She pulled away just as quickly and the older woman had to laugh at the way she was looking her over.

"Are you okay? How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine and other than a headache, I feel absolutely brilliant."

"So it worked?" Harry asked cautiously.

"Yes, it worked." She couldn't help the huge smile that spread across her face until her eyes locked on Mark who was sitting on the far side of the kitchen, staring absently into his mug of coffee."

Hermione quickly pushed around the table and threw herself into his lap and her arms around his neck. "Oh, Mark. Thank you. Thank you so much for taking such good care of me and Danny and Emmy. You've helped me more than you could ever know. I don't know how I'll ever repay you."

Mark returned the hug she was giving him with equal enthusiasm. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly before he spoke. "Well, hold that thought. I've got some news for you, and I don't know if you are going to consider it good or bad."

Hermione leaned back to get a better look at her housemates face. She saw concern etched across his brow and she could see a battle waging behind his eyes. She quickly cast a nervous look toward Ron before focusing her attention on Mark once more. She smiled and hoped that he would take the hint to continue. Thankfully, he did.

"Well you know that call yesterday before Remus and Ginny locked us out of your room? Well it was Dr. Calcaveccia. You got the job…the paid internship."

Hermione's eyes went wide with shock and then with total awe. Once again she threw herself at Mark as she squealed with delight. She quickly jumped off of his lap and was jumping up and down. "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! I can't believe it. I thought my interview Monday was complete rubbish." She grabbed Mark's shoulders and shook him, still smiling like a fool and asked, "Do you know what this means?" She watched the frown slowly appear on his face and watched as his eyes traveled to something behind her right shoulder.

Suddenly dread filled her entire body. _'Do you know what this means?'_ she asked herself. Yes she knew exactly what it meant. She had some very difficult decisions to make and some even more difficult discussions to have. The smile quickly disappeared from her face and she turned to cast a sad look toward Ron.

She felt that her heart was going to break at the sight of the tears that were beginning to pool in his eyes. He bit his lower lip and nodded as if he too knew exactly what this little bit of news meant. Then her heart did break when he slowly turned and walked out of the room. She took a deep breath trying to keep her emotions in check but failed miserably as she sunk into the chair next to Mark's at the kitchen table, placing her face in her hands and sobbing once again.

'----------

"_And I said goodbye to you"_

"_Goodbye to everything that I knew"_

"_You were the one I loved"_

"_The one thing I tried to hold on to"_

'----------

Several hours later, Mark had returned from Salem with the twins and Ginny and Hermione had set to making dinner. There was still no sign of Ron. Even as the meal came and went, Ron still hadn't surfaced. Of course, no one had really made an effort to locate him. Years of experience had taught them that you had to let the man come to terms with what it was that was bothering him before he was willing to discuss anything.

It wasn't until after Ginny and Harry had returned to their hotel, and Hermione had bathed the twins, tucked them in and read them their bedtime stories that she found Ron. She had bid Mark good night stating that she would be sleeping in the guestroom. She had half expected him to protest, but she decided that he really did know her very well after all when he didn't

She was startled when she entered and found Ron standing in the darkened room in front of the moonlight illuminated window. The only acknowledgement he made to her presence was that he lowered his gaze to the floor as if hanging his head in defeat.

Hermione wordlessly walked up behind him, wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her right cheek on his left shoulder blade. He quickly folded his arms over hers and let out a long, ragged breath.

"Hermione," he choked.

"Shh, love," Hermione whispered as she tightened her hold around his waist.

"Hermione, I…"

"No, Ronald!" she snapped as she stepped away from him effectively causing him to turn to face her.

Her heart ached when she saw the tears that were pooled in his eyes. She stepped closer to him, and she watched his arms twitch as if he wanted to reach for her and pull her close, but had second-guessed himself. She stood staring into his deep blue eyes. She gently ran the fingers of one hand from his temple down his cheek and across his jaw.

"I've always loved your eyes. Did you know?"

Hermione watched as Ron closed his eyes at her whispered words and the tears that had been sitting stationary made their journey down his cheeks. Using her thumbs, she wiped the tears from his cheeks then ran her fingers around his neck and pulled his lips to hers in a passionate kiss that left her gripping his shoulders for support.

When she pulled away to catch her breath, she buried her face into his neck and whispered into his ear, "Tonight, there is just you and me and nothing else. I want to get lost in you, Ronald."

Immediately his lips were once again crushing against hers, and she was being lifted off the ground by large hands firmly gripping her arse, and then she was being gently laid onto the bed. They made short work of their clothes and in mere moments they were one again.

'----------

"_I still get lost in your eyes, and it seems that I can't live a day without you"_

"_Closing my eyes and you'll chase my thoughts away"_

"_To a place where I am blinded by the light, but it's not right"_

'----------

The morning came all too quickly, and with the morning came the harsh reality that Hermione had not wanted to face the evening before. As she lay with her head resting on Ron's bare chest with him lazily running his fingers through her locks, she breached the subject.

"Ron, we need to talk."

"I know."

She didn't know if she was comforted or not by the way he continued his gentle, soothing touches. She closed her eyes and took in her three deep breaths, and decided that if he was going to continue his loving caresses she wasn't going to move from the position that she was in. This conversation would be much easier, probably on both of them, if they weren't looking directly at one another.

"I'm taking the internship."

Hermione felt nauseated when his hand stopped moving, but she knew that she needed to continue. "I've worked so hard to get to this place Ron, and even though it wasn't where I ever expected myself to be when we were at Hogwarts, I feel like this is what I need to be doing right now. Can you understand that?"

Ron's voice was barely more than a whisper when he answered, "More than I think you know."

"It's not that I don't want to go back with you. You're all that I've ever wanted Ron. Even when I couldn't remember, there was always a piece of me that knew that there was only one person out there for me and there was somewhere else that I needed to call home. I just hadn't found either yet."

"You're all I've ever wanted, too, Hermione. Even when people poked and prodded me to move on with my life, I couldn't betray you. I knew someday we'd be back together and I could give you the life that you deserve."

"Ron, I don't want to lose you again. I want you to be a part of the twins life…of my life. So I was thinking that maybe we could look for a house, together, you know. Maybe in one of the wizarding communities near Salem."

"Hermione, I understand you don't want to leave behind what you've created here. I really do. I don't like it and it hurts like hell, but I understand. I guess that's part of growing up. You learn to understand situations that you may not necessarily agree with or take much of a liking to. But, you've got to understand that I've worked really hard to get to where I am too, 'Mione, and I'm actually really good at what I do, some even say the best. I've never been the best at anything; I can't just give that up. And there's this promotion of sorts that they want to give me. Loads more money…more than I've ever seen before, but it comes at a cost. I'd have to be away a lot and work a lot of long hours, but this is something I have to do."

Tears were flowing freely down her cheeks now. She was working very hard not to break out into an uncontrollable sob, but it was taking more effort than she really thought she had in her. She quickly sat up to look him in the eyes. "Ron, I need you. I can't do this without you…not now…not knowing that you could be here." She was pleading with him with her eyes. "I don't care about the money."

"Hermione, it's not about the money, love. I love you more than I've ever loved anyone, or ever will for that matter, but I need to get the rest of the bastards that tore my family apart. I'm not asking you to give up on what you feel you need to do, and I hope that you won't ask me to do the same."

"This is it, then. Isn't it?" she asked in a choked voice.

With tears that were refusing to fall filling her eyes, she watched him get out of the bed, get dressed and head for the door. "I want you, Hermione. I want to be with you, forever. But I can't leave my family and I can't leave behind what we both know I need to do."

'----------

"_Goodbye to you"_

"_Goodbye to everything that I knew"_

"_You were the one that I loved"_

"_The one thing that I tried to hold on to"_

'----------

Ron had spent all of the remainder of Friday playing with the twins. He explained to Hermione that until he could be a permanent part of their lives, he was fine with just being Ron to them, even though she had protested at great lengths. That night when he left with Harry and Ginny, he'd only given her a chaste kiss and told her that he'd write soon. She wondered if she'd ever see him again.

Now as the song was coming to its end and she was fighting the inner battle to concentrate on her pitch and her tone and the words themselves and not their meaning, she was able to muster a smile toward Harry and Ginny and Mark sitting together to the left of the stage. As she began to once again scan the crowd, her eyes settled on the shock of red hair that she had been so drawn to from on stage only a week ago.

Ron stood at the far end of the bar, just inside the door watching her last performance at the _Randy Buffalo_ with a mournful look on his face. She took in a sharp breath when the music allowed then sang…

"_And it hurts to want everything and nothing at the same time"_

"_I want what's yours and I want what's mine"_

"_I want you but I'm not givin' in this time"_

Hermione's fight to hold back the tears became a losing battle as they escaped from eyes that were locked on her best friend, her lover. Her voice began to waver and she closed her eyes to calm as the song took her back into the chorus.

"_Goodbye to you"_

"_Goodbye to everything that I knew"_

"_You were the one that I loved"_

"_The one thing that I tried to hold on to"_

"_The one thing that I tried to hold on to"_

And when she opened them, Ron was gone.

"_And when the stars fall I will lie awake. You're my shooting star_."

'----------

Reviews encouraged!


	13. Chapter 12 Are You Happy Now

**Please Remember Me**

Disclaimer : The _Harry Potter _characters in this story belong to J.K. Rowling. Many thanks to her for letting them roam about in the world I created for a bit.

Once I again want to thank everyone that reviewed. You're praise is very encouraging.

I'd also want to grovel for your acceptance of my deepest apologies for taking my sweet ass time in getting this to you. I've been doing random things to get ready for Christmas and work has been hectic, not to mention that this was by far the longest chapter of the story and I really struggled with the last part of this chapter.

Hope you can forgive me for my posting laziness and I hope that the chapter was worth the wait. Enjoy!

CHAPTER 12 – Are You Happy Now?

Nearly three months to the day of getting her memories back, Hermione sat at the kitchen table in the house she still occupied with Mark. Her elbows rested on the table that was cluttered with thick books, several file folders and a multitude of paperwork, and her face rested in the palms of her hands. She was completely exhausted from the horrible week that she was having, and it was only Tuesday.

Currently she was thankful for two things. The first was that her classes were suspended until after the first of the year and had been for almost two weeks. The second was that the office of Banyan, Broker, Boyer and Ferguson was closed for the remainder of the week for the holiday. '_Is Christmas really only two days away?'_

She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly before raising her head to appraise the workload that sat idle in front of her. Although, the office was closed, she was far from being on any sort of holiday with the amount of research that needed to be completed before the office opened back up on Monday. As she had so many times over the last twelve weeks, she chastised herself for the decision she'd made regarding her future.

The night of her last performance at the_ Randy Buffalo_ she'd barely made it back to her seat before she broke down in complete anguish. Even though in her mind she just knew that she was doing the right thing, her heart was telling her that she had made a horribly terrible mistake. Now, she wished she'd listened to her heart.

She, well actually it was Miranda Chase, started her internship on the first of October with high hopes, which were squashed within the first week after she was placed with the newest partner of the firm, Jamison Ferguson III. She quickly found that her job consisted of mostly research revolving around the cases that Jamison was currently working on. That aspect actually didn't bother her; after all, research was 'her thing.'

However, her aspirations about the internship turned sour when she learned that Mr. Ferguson was taking credit for _all_ her work when discussing the cases with the senior partners. To top things off, the newest partner had taken a liking to Hermione and had made several advances on her, thankfully none that had been too overt, but they were still there. Hermione had known what the man was doing was extremely unethical as well as illegal; however, she was too scared that she'd lose the job not to mention the respect of her professor who had put his neck on the line to get her into this internship, if she reported Mr. Ferguson's behavior. Since things had stayed at comments and remarks, she had kept her mouth shut, and she decided that if the prick attempted to move beyond anything verbal, she'd just turn him into a frog…that is if she ever had time enough to reacquaint herself with using magic.

There stood another reason why she wished she had listened to her heart and had returned to England with Ron. Even though she had her memories back and had even made a trip to a wand maker's shop in Salem with Mark a couple weeks into October, she hadn't had any time to brush up on her skills and to fine turn her magic. She was forever grateful to Ginny and Harry for sending her a package that contained several of their old textbooks even though she hadn't had time to actually go through them yet.

She let out a frustrated sigh. What was she supposed to do now, though? She had made her decision, as hard and heart breaking as it was, and she had chosen to stay here…to continue living a lie as Miranda Chase. But could she renounce that choice now? Could she return to England and beg for Ron's forgiveness and claim that she had made a stupid mistake and plead with him to take her and their children into his life? Could she ask him to give up this job that he claimed would help him to bring justice to his family so that he could make a family with her?

To all these questions, the answer was no, and it wasn't simply because her pride wouldn't let her. She couldn't do any of those things because she was too scared at getting her heart broken by the only man she ever loved when he rejected her, as he should, for _her_ being so selfish in the first place.

Losing herself in her thoughts, Hermione noticed that she was staring across the kitchen at the picture that was hanging on the refrigerator of James Sirius Potter who had been born two weeks ago. Her heart ached and her stomach twisted at the sight of the newborn and the memory of the phone conversation she had with Harry the evening after his son was born. Even without being able to see her friend, she knew that he was beaming from ear to ear with pure joy at getting to experience the birth of this child. Hermione felt a pang in her chest.

'_You say you can't go to Ron because your afraid of getting your heart broken, but you know him better than that. You know that he could never turn you away and that he'd be willing to do just about anything for you, especially now.'_

With one hand clutching her shirt at her waist, she used the other hand to wipe away the tears that had started to form in her eyes. She took her deep calming breaths and reached across the table to grab the next reference book that she was going to peruse, but was distracted by Mark and the kids coming in through the back door.

"Mummy, mummy, guess what we…"

"Daniel Robert, don't you dare. I told you it's a surprise."

Hermione gave her son a sad smile as she watched his shoulders slump in defeat. Hermione had to quickly look away to divert her thoughts from straying to Ron yet again. She couldn't believe how much Daniel was exactly how she had assumed that Ron had been when he was younger. If nothing else, he looked exactly as Ron did in all the photographs that her and Ginny would sit and look at on summer holidays.

"Sorry, Mark, I forgot."

Mark ruffled the boy's already disheveled from his stocking cap hair. "That's okay, buddy. Why don't you and Emma give me your coats and then you can take these bags up to your room. I'll put your coats away and then I'll be up and we can wrap the gifts for your mom."

Daniel gave Mark a bright smile, quickly pulled off his coat and handed it along with his cap to Mark. The boy grabbed one of the bags and was already heading out of the kitchen before his sister had even finished removing her coat.

Hermione had to hide the smirk behind one of her hands when Emma handed her coat to the wizard and said in a matter of fact tone, "I knew Danny wouldn't keep the necklace a secret" before she picked up the other bag they had brought in with them and preceded to follow her brother.

Once Emma was out of the room, Hermione let out the laugh she was holding in. "I told you it was pointless to be all secretive when you were taking those two with you."

Mark just rolled his eyes at her and laughed. "Well, at least we had fun. Those two are quite the avid shoppers. They were having a blast spending my money."

"I really wish that you would let me give you your money back. It just doesn't seem fair for you to buy me something for Christmas and then turn around and use your money as well so the kids can buy me something."

"Well, it doesn't seem fair that you'd have to pay for your own Christmas gifs, now does it? Anyway, what makes you think _I'm_ getting you anything?" He flashed a quick smirk at Hermione before he turned to hang the children's coats up on the pegs next to the back door.

"Smart ass."

Mark simply looked over his shoulder at an attempt to look at his backside. "It is, isn't it? Kinda cute too, if you ask me?"

Hermione shook her head in exasperation. "You're incorrigible!"

As Mark made his way over to pour himself a cup of coffee, Hermione sighed a long, drawn out sigh and put her face back into the palms of her hands, rubbing her temples with her thumbs. When she felt movement next to her and heard a chair scraping across the floor she turned to look at her housemate who had pulled up the chair next to her and turned so that he was resting his left arm across the back of her chair.

"Ok, sweetie, what's wrong?"

Hermione gave him a sad smile. "Same old same."

"So in other words you're still working your ass off with no recognition from your superior other than how your ass looks in the particular outfit you happen to be wearing?"

"If I'd had any idea that this is what this _great internship_ consisted of…."

"You would've made some different choices."

Hermione just nodded then looked down at the papers sitting in front of her.

"Hermione?" She raised her eyes to meet Mark's. "Are you happy now?" When she quirked her brow at him, he continued. "Are you happy living with a man who you'll never be intimate with, working in a job that has you seriously overworked, underpaid and underappreciated and watching your children grow up without their father?"

Hermione didn't trust her voice to speak so she shook her head. Mark knew her too well for her to try to lie to him. She knew he'd never believe that she was perfectly fine living with a gay man and that weren't all jobs supposed to leave you overworked and underpaid and she'd watched her children grow up without their father for almost five years. She knew that he could read her like one of the books that currently littered the table in front of her and she really wasn't in the mood for a long drawn out debate.

"Have you heard from Ron lately?" Again Hermione's answer was a nonverbal no. "Have you written him?" Again another shake of the head but this time she looked away from him. "Do you miss him?"

Hermione took in a ragged breath. "You know I do, Mark. I miss him so much it hurts. But what I am supposed to do now? I made my decision and now I have to live with it."

She was slightly disgruntled when Mark chuckled at her response and was just about to admonish him when his next statement shocked her, because it was so simple that she hadn't even fathomed the idea.

"Well, you know, my mother use to always say that it's a woman's prerogative to change her mind."

Was it that easy? Could she just simply 'change her mind'?

"I can't just quit, Mark. I'd disappoint Dr. Calcaveccia terribly. He really pulled a lot of strings to just get me the interview with Mr. Banyan and I'm sure the professor had a hand in making sure that I got picked for the position. Not to mention the fact that I don't even know if Ron still wants me."

"But is it really Dr. Calcaveccia's opinions that matter the most to you? I understand that you don't want anyone to think badly of you, but in the grand scheme of things, don't you think that you really only need to worry about yourself and those you love the most? And as far as Ron not still wanting you, that's just bullshit. You know the man never stopped loving you when he didn't have the faintest idea where you were. I don't think that you making the choice not to completely drop everything you had built in your life when he came back into it changed how deeply he cares for you."

"But won't you be disappointed in me?"

Mark leaned forward and kissed her softly on the forehead and whispered, "I'm already disappointed in you for the decision that you've already made."

Hermione's heart broke and her eyes instantly filled with tears. She really valued Mark's opinion of her and it hurt her to no end that she had disappointed him. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I didn't think it was my place, but now, I see you sitting here, absolutely miserable and I don't think I could call me your friend if I didn't say something." Mark grabbed the sides of Hermione's tear stained face and looked her squarely in the eyes. This caused more tears to fall, and Mark's thumbs quickly wiped them away.

"I'm doing something I should've done months ago, love. I'm asking you to leave." Hermione started shaking her head in protest. Mark pulled back and smiled at her while reaching into the pocket on the inside of his jacket. "No, actually, I'm telling you to leave."

Hermione's hands were shaking as she reached out to take Mark's offering. She swallowed the lump in her throat as she looked at the three airline tickets in her hands. Upon closer investigation she found that the tickets were for a nonstop flight that left in less than three hours. Her eyes shot up in surprise.

"How?"

Mark was still smiling. "Did you know that London is five hours ahead of Boston and did you know that a nonstop flight from Boston to London is about six and a half hours? I think this flight should get you to the Weasley's about time for Christmas Eve lunch or whatever you crazy Brits call it. As a matter of fact, I believe that there will be an Auror by the name of Potter waiting at the airport with a car to take you to the festivities."

Hermione looked again to the tickets in her hand then back up to Mark. She was still completely dumbfounded. "How?"

Mark laughed at her this time and pulled her into a hug. "Magic."

Hermione couldn't help but let out a laugh and she quickly wrapped her arms around her dear friend in a tight embrace. "Thank you so much. I don't know how I'll ever repay you…for everything."

Mark pulled back and placed his large hand across Hermione's stomach. "Well you two could name your next one after me."

She just shook her head and smiled her first genuine smile in twelve weeks. "I wouldn't hold your breath, love. I still don't think that Ron was totally convinced of your orientation or that there was absolutely nothing going on between the two of us."

Mark stood and held out his hand to Hermione. "Well just tell him that unless the little one comes out with blonde hair and a dashing personality, he has nothing to worry about. Now, I believe the kids have had sufficient time to make a mess of some sort, probably attempting to wrap the gifts on their own, and we don't have time for messes because I believe the three of you have a plane to catch."

'----------

Ron stood looking in the front window of the Quidditch Supply Shop that was currently closed due to the fact that it was Christmas Eve and the new owner had family outside of the country that he and his wife wanted to spend time with…or so the note hanging on the entrance stated. As Ron looked up and down Diagon Alley at the hustle and bustle of all the last minute shoppers, he thought that the bloke was right barmy for missing out on the last minute sales. Ron, himself, would've probably spent a fortune for gifts for his family that he hadn't had time to buy as of yet.

He had returned from his latest mission only the night before and had been informed that he was to go to Madam Malkin's first thing this morning to get fitted for the dress robes that he would be needing for the wedding next week. His mother stressed that if he didn't manage to get his lazy arse (and yes she used that exact term which told Ron she meant business) out of bed in time to make it to the shop before lunch that she'd make sure that there was no Christmas feast for him this year.

He knew that it was an empty threat, but he wasn't about to chance that it wasn't. No, Molly Weasley was not a force that her youngest son wanted to reckon with these days. Ron had received a good, old-fashioned dose of his Mum's wrath when he had returned from the States without Hermione and the kids, especially the kids. She had been short-tempered with Ron ever since. Add the rather quick and surprising engagement and the short notice for a New Year's Day wedding, the last thing Ron wanted to do was upset his mother, in any way, shape or form.

Of course, Ron had absolutely no chance of missing his fitting appointment since the bride-to-be was literally rolling him out of bed at the crack of dawn. When she stated that she wanted to make sure they got an early start so that they were sure that they had enough time to do everything she needed to do before returning to the Burrow, Ron wanted to crawl back into bed…Christmas feast be damned. But as it was, Ron had endured the trip to Diagon Alley and before he knew it, they were at Madam Malkin's and he had been fitted for his dress robes.

When the bride-to-be had insisted on a final fitting of her wedding robes, Ron decided that he'd have a good half hour to sneak away and do some of the shopping that he hadn't had time to get around to. However, he hadn't made it any further than the Quidditch shop window.

Ron let out a long sigh as he continued to look through the shop window at the new line of Nimbus brooms for the entire family. Had the shop been opened, he had decided that he would've left there with at least two of the child-sized models of the new brooms. He knew that Hermione would probably have kittens if he sent the twins magical brooms for Christmas, but that thought just drove his desire to purchase them even more. Maybe he'd come back that weekend and pick them up.

Ron let out another sigh and turned to lean against the outside wall of the shop as he watched the people on the street passing by. If anyone had told him this time last year that within a year he would finally find Hermione only to leave her, he would've called them mental. But as always, Ron was the one who was mental. _'Merlin, how I miss her and Daniel and Emma! I should've never left them, because now I can't bring myself to go back._'

As much as he longed to see Hermione and the twins again, he just couldn't bring himself to go back to her, even if it was for just a visit, because he knew that he couldn't be happy with just a visit with the children, not now. He hadn't gotten to know them properly when he was in Boston, and it angered him to think about what he was missing out on their lives without them here with him. These feelings only increased after his nephew was born and he held the little boy for the first time. He hated that he had missed out on that part of the twins' lives…but, okay, that had really been beyond anyone's control.

Now, though, he was missing events in his children's lives because their mother was too stubborn to make sacrifices in her own life so that he could get to know his children. Okay, so he knew that he was just as much to blame as she was in the stubborn department, but at the moment Ron was so disgruntled with what he had chosen over her, that he needed to be mad at someone other than himself for the disaster that was called his life.

Kingsley had made it very clear that the promotion the Ministry had offered to Ron would involve a lot of personal sacrifices, and Ron had been more than willing to make them, and he had prepared himself for those sacrifices. What Ron hadn't prepared himself for was the animosity that he was receiving from his peers.

Now he wasn't one of them "playing leader," he was a superior, and superiors, no matter how fair they tried to be, were never well liked. Even Seamus, Neville and Harry to some degree were treating him differently. He went from being one of them to being the enemy within his own group. Kingsley had told him that the job had its perks, but it had its downside as well. Ron had just assumed that the man had been referring to the hours and the stress of the hunt and so forth.

Four weeks after accepting the position, Ron was ready to quit…not just the new position, but the Ministry altogether. He stuck it out because, honestly, he didn't have another job to fall back on or even a clue as to what else he would want to do with his life. Even though part of him kept replaying the last conversation he'd had with Mark back in the States about getting him into the Bureau there, Ron couldn't bring himself to go back to Hermione and admit that he was wrong in leaving her in the first place. _'No, now it's too late to go back.'_

"Ronald!"

Ron was abruptly pulled from his thoughts by an angry, high-pitched voice.

"There you are. Honestly, I turn my back for five minutes and you disappear. We've got to be going. I'm sure your parents are wondering what's happened to us. And you will not be the reason that I'm late for your mother's meal!"

Ron let out a defeated breath. "I'm sorry, Lavender. I just thought that I'd try to pickup a few last minute things."

Lavender huffed but then put on her best pout. "You didn't even stay to see me in my robes."

"Isn't it bad luck or something to see the bride in her robes before the wedding?" Ron tried to act dumb, but he just received a piercing glare from the blonde. He didn't even have a fight in him today, so he relented and simply said, "You're right. I'm sure Mum is wondering where we've gotten to."

Ron watched Lavender speechlessly disappear with a soft _pop_ and quickly followed her by Apparating to the point just outside the wards of the Burrow about twenty meters from the house.

'Bloody Merry Christmas to me.'

'--------

Hermione watched the scenery pass by outside the window of Harry's car. She had been a nervous wreck on the plane, only able to push aside her anxiety at the sight of her children's excitement of their first airplane ride. However, when they had dozed off about forty-five minutes into the flight, she had nearly six hours to work her nerves into a frenzy. She slept all of maybe twenty minutes total, so now she wasn't only dealing with the apprehension of her actions; she was also dealing with an impossible headache from lack of sleep. She hoped that Molly had a potion to help her out with that.

Continuing to stare out the window and only vaguely hearing Harry's conversation with the twins about their plane ride and how strange British automobiles were, Hermione couldn't help but wonder how she was going to be received at the Burrow. She vaguely remembered the similar feelings she experienced her first trip to the Burrow before the Quidditch World Cup the summer before her fourth year. She couldn't help but smile at the memory.

"You know, Harry, we should've looked for a hotel room before we left London. I don't expect that there's many vacant rooms left, and I really don't fancy being stranded with the kids and no where to stay over Christmas."

Harry scoffed but didn't take his eyes of the deserted dirt road. "Do you really think that me or my wife are going to let you spend the holiday in some hotel room. You and the kids will be staying in our guestroom." He quickly gave a stern look at his friend and said, "No arguments!"

Hermione just smiled, rolled her eyes and looked back out the passenger side window. When she heard a chuckle escape from Harry, she returned her attention to him.

He threw her a quick smile. "Anyway, do you honestly believe that Molly is going to let you or those two out of her sight anytime in the near, or, hell, distant, future?"

"Do you really think they'll be okay…with us… you know being there and all?"

"Yes, more than okay."

"I just feel like I'm barging in on them…you know with the holidays."

"That's just rubbish. You've been a part of the Weasley family for nearly as long as I have. Trust me…there isn't any other gift that you could give that family that would be better than the presence of you, Daniel and Emma."

Hermione returned her focus to the road ahead and could see the irregular structure that could only be the Burrow coming into view in the distance.

"Maybe I should really wait until this weekend…let them celebrate a nice, quiet Christmas with the hassle of unexpected guests."

"Nice try."

"But…"

Harry simply snapped his thumb and fingers together in a nonverbal command to _zip-it_. Hermione couldn't help but wonder how upset Harry would be with her if she suddenly lost her breakfast all over the floorboard of his car. She closed her eyes and took in about a dozen deep breaths. She'd learned over the last eight hours or so that her normal three just weren't getting the job done anymore. Even now, she felt more faint than calmed. She closed her eyes for what she thought was just a second, but when she opened them they were sitting idle outside the Weasley homestead.

As Harry got out of the car and was helping Daniel and Emma out of the backseat, Hermione watched the movement inside the house through the kitchen window. Because the curtains were drawn and the windows were frosted, the images were distorted, but there was no mistaking that the house was just as lively as it had always been during her previous stays.

Tears immediately formed in Hermione's eyes as a sudden wave of peacefulness washed over her. In that moment, she knew she was home…the place where she was meant to be all along. She prayed to the heavens above that her homecoming be welcomed by the only family she'd loved as much as her own, blood family.

Harry entered the house first. Hermione heard one of the male Weasleys, she couldn't be certain which one, ask, "So, Harry did you get the _distinguished guest of the Ministry _delivered properly?"

He answered with, "Not quite yet," before he stepped around the corner of the door and Hermione was able to see the redheaded brood for the first time in years.

Squeals of delight erupted, but Hermione wasn't sure if they were from Ginny or Mrs. Weasley or both, but she quickly found herself in the tight embrace of the Weasley matriarch.

The next hour was a complete blur. There were hugs and tears and more hugs. The Weasleys were properly introduced to the twins and vice versa. Hermione had explained to the children while waiting to board at the Boston Airport that they were going to be going to see their father and his family. It was an awkward conversation but had went remarkably well, without the dozens of questions she had expected. Of course, Ron hadn't been present when they arrived at the Burrow so the introduction of Danny and Emmy to him as their father was still to come.

Currently, Molly and Arthur were working in the kitchen to put the finishing touches on the lunch that Mrs. Weasley had now deemed a celebration. Harry was deep in debate with Bill over some sort of Quidditch scandal that had come about within the last couple of months while Fred and Daniel were huddled together in one of the corners with the elder attempting to teach the younger how to play Exploding Snaps.

Hermione was cuddled on the sofa with Emma, Ginny and little James. Most of the anxiety she had been fighting for the last several hours had dissipated, and she was simply filled with warmth as she stared at the baby, remembering when her little ones were that tiny and thinking of what it would be like to hold a baby of her own again.

"Ooh, Ronnie's back!"

Hermione's heart jumped into her throat with the statement from Mrs. Weasley. She took a deep breath, forced a smile at Ginny when she handed back over the infant and stood to face the door just as Ron entered…with Lavender Brown…on his arm.

"Ah, come on, Won-Won!" Hermione's former roommate giggled.

Hermione could've sworn that her heart had stopped because it suddenly wasn't rapidly pulsing in her throat. In an instant, she was seventeen years old again and watching Ron and Lavender walking hand-in-hand into the empty classroom she had retreated to after having her heart shattered into a million pieces by her redheaded best friend. Except this time, her eyes were focused not on that friend but on the other woman's hand that was grasped, lovingly, around Ron's arm and the brilliant diamond ring…engagement ring…on her finger.

Ron had stopped dead in his tracks with a look of shock and then complete awe on his face. Had Hermione been able to draw her attention away from the blonde's hand, she may have noticed the smile of true happiness that was beginning to cover his face.

Instead, her eyes filled with tears and she lost focus of everything. She heard Lavender squeal, "Oh my god, Hermione!" but as the woman started to step toward her, Hermione let out a heart-wrenching sob and ran up the stairs toward the loo.

'----------

Ron had to be dreaming. There was no other explanation for the vision that greeted him as he entered his home. The love of his life was standing not fifteen meters from him; just as gorgeous as the last time he'd seen her. He could feel the goofy grin quickly spreading across his face. It had to be a dream didn't it, because he never got what he truly wanted for Christmas. Now that's not to say that he didn't get things that he wanted, but he never really got that one thing that he wished for more than anything else…the one thing that in his heart of hearts he knew was completely unattainable. But now, there she was.

The squeal that came out of the woman standing next to him, brought Ron back to his senses and he realized that it wasn't a dream. Then he saw the tears in Hermione's eyes and heard the sob that came from her as she darted up the rickety old stairs.

Ron stood looking around the room at all the confused faces staring at him and wondered if they were all thinking _'what the hell just happened'_ when his gaze fell on Lavender standing next to him and everything suddenly fell into place.

"Shite!"

Ron was thankful that it only took a few seconds for realization to dawn on him and that his legs were quite a bit longer than Hermione's because he was able to catch her on the third floor just before she made it into the loo. He threw his arms around her waist, only registering for a moment that something about her felt different, and pulled her shaking body into his.

"No, Ron!" She cried out and struggled to pull out of his grasp.

"Hermione, you don't understand. Please, you have to calm down and listen to me." Ron was beginning to feel panic spread through his body. He couldn't lose her, now that she was finally here, over some complete misunderstanding.

"Get your hands off of me, you bastard!" Ron was slightly startled by Hermione's scream.

"Everything alright up there, son?" Ron's father yelled up the stairs.

"Just fine, Dad."

The last thing he needed was any sort of intervention in this dispute. Ron quickly pushed Hermione inside the lavatory, kicking the door closed once they were inside. He was sure that there would be more outbursts from Hermione before she would listen to reason so he needed to get even further away from prying ears so to speak. Without another thought he released his grasp on Hermione and quickly sealed and silenced the room from any outside interruptions.

"Let me out of here you big brute! My children are out there and they're probably scared to death at seeing me like this."

Well, at least now he wasn't dealing with an upset and crying Hermione anymore. He had much more practice in dealing with the angry and crying Hermione, so this was old ground. She was currently taking her frustrations out on the door that wasn't budging.

"Hermione, _our_ children will be just fine! In case you've forgotten, they are in a room full of their family members and I'm sure Mum and Ginny are making short work of answering any questions they may have." Ron stepped up behind her and was just reaching out to lay his hands on gently on her hips when she turned toward him, obviously ready for a fight.

Just as she opened her mouth to surely start yelling at him, he stopped her rant with his mouth against hers, pulling her body into his once again. _'Now this is how I should be greeting Hermione.' _He could feel her just start to melt into his touch when she quickly pushed him away.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Saying hello. I've missed you."

"What?" Her voice actually broke as she screeched out in astonishment. Ron could imagine the string of names she was probably calling him in her head, and he was sure that some of them were quite colorful.

Ron stepped toward her but she took a retreating step backwards that put her back against the door. "I said I've missed you."

"I heard you the first time, Ronald! Have you lost your mind? I believe you have a fiancée waiting downstairs."

Ron knew that Hermione was becoming quite agitated with him. He could see tears starting to fill her eyes again as he started to lean in for another kiss, but it dawned on him that he probably should try to explain what she had saw downstairs. After all, he'd much rather be 'saying hello' to Hermione with her 'saying hello' back.

Ron ran the fingers of his right hand lightly over her left cheek, wiping away the tears before he whispered, "Fred's," before his lips were on hers again.

This time Hermione didn't let herself get engrossed in the kiss before she pushed him away. Ron watched as Hermione's brow knitted in confusion. Once again he felt a goofy grin starting to spread across his face. He still couldn't get over the fact that she was actually standing there in front of him…that she had actually come home.

"What? Ron?"

"Lavender. She's not _my_ fiancée. She's Fred's."

Ron smiled when Hermione's eyes went wide. "What?" Ron could hear the astonishment in her voice.

"Yeah, that's kinda what we all thought, too."

Her lip was trembling when she asked, "Really?…Fred's?… so you're not…"

"Yes, love, really, and I am most definitely not…you should know by now that there is no one else for me but you."

"Oh, god, Ron!" Suddenly Hermione had thrown herself into Ron's arms sobbing once again. Ron was pretty sure that this time it was tears of relief and joy that she was crying.

They held each other for several moments with Ron soothingly running one hand up and down Hermione's back as the sobs subsided. When she had finally calmed, Ron kissed the top of her head and whispered the question he'd been dying to ask since he saw her standing downstairs. "Hermione, what are you doing here?"

"Are you happy?"

To say that Ron was a little thrown off by her answer would've been an understatement. He pulled back so he could look into her glistening eyes. "Er…huh?"

"Ron, I've been totally miserable the last three months. That damned job is absolutely dismal, and I haven't had anytime to work on regaining my magical strength. Add to that the nausea and all the heartache, and I've felt completely and utterly wretched. I made a mistake, Ron. I made a poor decision and I need to know if I can take it back…if I can change my mind. Mark asked me yesterday if I was happy and it took his question to make me admit that I wasn't. I want to change my decision, but first I need to know if you are happy now…with the choices that were made…the choice that you made?"

"Love, the happiest I've been since I left Boston was about ten minutes ago when I walked into this house and saw you standing there. I should've never left you. You have to understand that this place will always be my home and my family has always meant so much to me. I never should've chosen them over you because this really isn't an issue of them against you because honestly, Hermione, you've always been my family and now with Daniel and Emma you're even more so. And isn't there some crazy Muggle saying about home being where your heart is. Well, my heart has always and will always be yours, so if you don't want to leave the States because of University and all that, then I'm there with you. We can even look for a place near Salem like you suggested."

Ron once again found a crying Hermione wrapped in his arms as she flung herself at him. "Oh, Ron. I don't want to go back. This is where I belong. I knew it the moment I stepped through that door downstairs. I want to come home, Ron."

"You are."

Suddenly Ron found himself getting lost in yet another kiss with Hermione; although this time it was filled with much more need and desperation. He had quickly lifted her off the ground and had her body pushed against the door once more. For her part, Hermione's legs were wrapped tightly around Ron's waist and he was sure that she'd have to be able to feel his arousal pressed against her center.

"Ron." Hermione's breath was deep and raspy when she broke away from his lips.

He quickly started worshipping her neck with tiny kisses until he had worked his way to her ear where he whispered, "I need to be inside you, love."

He nearly cried out when she released the grip her legs had on him and slid down his body before she pushed him away. He was just about to protest when she put a single finger over his lips.

"Ron, you know we can't…not now. Everyone is waiting downstairs and if we don't get down there soon, they are going to think that I've murdered you and Apparated away."

Ron flashed her a cocky grin before stepping up to her slowly and claiming her lips again in a soft, chaste kiss. "No they won't. Anti-Apparation wards."

Hermione chuckled against his lips and pushed at his shoulders again. "Then they'll know that this is what we are doing."

Ron couldn't believe how much more he got turned on just by watching the light shade of pink start to creep across her cheeks. "I think they already know that we've shagged, love."

He laughed as she shook her head in annoyance before she turned her back to him. He assumed that she did this so that she could avoid another round of snogging. He thought she was absolutely adorable when she was annoyed. He stepped up behind her, placing his hands on her hips and then running them along her waist to her stomach. That was when he noticed the slight bump that was there. He was just about to make some snide remark about her eating her fair share of Chocolate Frogs lately when he stopped himself…suddenly remembering a very vivid conversation he'd had with Fred a couple years back about how 'birds don't like you mentioning anything about their bodies that isn't a compliment.'

Lots in his thoughts, Ron barely realized that Hermione had placed her hands lovingly over top of his. "Come on, Ron. Let's get downstairs. I'm sure your mother has the meal ready by now, and then we've got a lot to figure out. Like, for starters, what a 23 year-old witch who hasn't practiced magic in five years and didn't even finish her proper magical schooling is going to do with herself."

"You're the brightest witch of our age, love. Practice or no practice; schooling or not; you can do pretty much anything you want to." Ron was glad that she had turned around to face him again. He quickly kissed her forehead before you ending the spells on the room.

Hermione took his hand in hers as she opened the door. "Of course, there is also the matter of where the five of us are going to live."

They exited the lavatory hand in hand, and Ron had taken one step down the stairs when the oddity of her statement hit him and he became confused. "Five of us?"

Hermione's answer was a simple but teary-eyed, "Yes, five." Ron was still confused until she took the hand of his that she held in her own and placed it on top of the little bump of her stomach that he had almost just teased her about.

"Bloody hell."

Ron felt his trademark goofy grin spread across his face.

Then he fainted.

'----------

Reviews Encouraged!

'----------

Well thank you to all that have stuck with this story and enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it.

This is the end of the main story, but we aren't quite finished yet. I hope to have the Epilogue written and posted much sooner than I did this chapter. In the Epilogue I hope to give everyone a good standing of how things turned out in this little HP world. I won't be answering every question that may still be lingering in anyone's mind in hopes of some day continuing with a sequel. However, I won't just leave anyone hanging either because I have several ideas for other stories involving our favorite Gryffs that I want to pursue before even contemplating a sequel.

Thanks again for all your support and keep an eye out for the final update of this story!


	14. Epilogue Breathe

**Please Remember Me**

Disclaimer : The _Harry Potter _characters in this story belong to J.K. Rowling. Many thanks to her for letting them roam about in the world I created for a bit.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to everyone who has stayed with this story and offered their much appreciated praises!

EPILOGUE – Breathe

_I can feel the magic floating in the air; __Being with you gets me that way; __I watch the sunlight dance across your face and I've; __Never been this swept away – Faith Hill "Breathe"_

'----------

It's funny, you know, how people around you (friends, family and even sometimes complete strangers) throw advice your way, even though it may not really be wanted. _'Those shoes really don't go…' 'You know if you just…" "You should really hold her like…' _Well, you understand. Many times, it is unsettling and infuriating, especially when the advice is unsolicited and from a complete stranger.

However, some of the advice, even the superfluous advice, can really be useful. By far, the best, most palpable advice I have ever received or given for that matter is simply…"Breathe."

I know it sounds like it would be the most absurd advice anyone could give out, because if we didn't breathe, we'd be dead. Right? But sometimes it's the most common of things that we need to be reminded of. Because many times when we are hurting, upset, scared, or even ecstatic, we tend to hold our breaths which in turn reduces the oxygen supply that reaches our brains which in turn makes it difficult to form a clear thought. So really it is sound advice to live by.

Even through some of my toughest times in life, I'd stop and make myself take three deep breaths. I don't know why I chose three, but it almost always worked in calming down whatever emotion I was feeling at the time. Looking back on the major events in my life, I remember the advice either being given to me or by me…_Breathe…Just Breathe_.

'----------

The first time I remember ever giving the advice to myself was when my name was called during the Sorting ceremony my first evening at Hogwarts. As I sat down on the stool before the Great Hall, I closed my eyes. _'Breathe, Hermione!'_ I remember the words coming to me as Professor McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat on my head. Within mere moments, I was placed in the house of Godric Gryffindor, which put me on a one-way course to becoming best friends with two of the greatest wizards of my age. Of course it was those two wizards that had me repeating that same advice to myself several more times over the years, for several different reasons.

Several years after that seat under the Sorting Hat, the most memorable time I used the advice where those wizards were concerned, well really it was just with the one, was about a week after my parents had been murdered. I had crawled in bed with Ron, much as I had the previous two nights and had a good cry. Though, that night, unlike the others, I had no intentions of leaving his arms or their embrace until the first light of morning. Of course, upon entering his room, I had never thought that the night would take the path that it did. When those three little words passed from his lips, my shock found me once again thinking _'Breathe, Hermione' _as I made a decision that would change both of our lives forever.

It wasn't until several months after that night, that I found myself first receiving the advice from another. I remember lying in the bed at Boston Memorial Hospital quickly approaching my twelfth hour of labor with the twins when the labor pains were beginning to become quite unbearable. I had taken the breathing classes and such, but when you feel like something is trying to claw its way out from inside of you times two, the last thing you can remember is how you are supposed to be breathing to keep calm.

I did what many women in my position do…I held my breath. It was the soothing touch of Eleanor Chase and her simply saying, "Breathe, sweetheart. You'll only make it worse if you don't," that made me take the three calming breathes as the next contraction hit. Two hours later, I had two precious angels.

'----------

It was nearly five years later that I first gave the advice to another. It was an understatement to say that I was completely shocked when I watched Ron fall down a flight of stairs after fainting from learning that he was going to be a father…again. I wasted no time running down the stairs to his aid while his family rushed up the stairs to see what had happened.

Had the circumstances been different, I would have enjoyed the look of shock on Fred's face when he asked, "Bloody, hell, Hermione! What did you do to the poor bloke?" Needless to say I was a little concerned with the fact that Ron could have broken his neck to process the situation right away.

However, as I was on my knees bending over Ron while assessing the damage he may have done in the fall, it dawned on me that everyone other than Mr. Weasley was looking at me as if they believed that I had pushed the youngest Weasley son down the stairs. Just as I was about to explain what had happened, Ron sat bolt upright gasping for breath.

He looked at me wide-eyed, with little-to-no color in his face. He appeared as if he was about to say something when he started gasping for air. In his apparent panic, he was beginning to hyperventilate. I quickly grabbed his cheeks with both of my hands and began soothingly caressing them with my thumbs. "Calm down, love, and breathe. Okay, now, deep, slow breaths….Just breathe."

Well, Ron eventually calmed down and I gestured to the whole lot to move down the stairs into the sitting room before any explanations were attempted. As his family turned and made their way down the stairs, Ron, with tears in his eyes, turned to me and asked, "I'm going to be a dad?"

I smile a softly at him. "Yes, Ron, you are going to be a dad, again."

"But we used…"

I gave him a knowing smile and cut him off. "Not both times."

His eyes went wide and I was sure that he was going to start berating himself; however, he surprised me by leaning in and capturing my lips in a searing kiss. He was just beginning to deepen the kiss when I realized that we were still sitting on the stairs and his family was waiting for us. I pulled away and pulled him into a quick hug. It was then that he sighed a long sigh of dread and said, "I am such an idiot. I can't believe I fainted. I'm never going to hear the end of it, you know?"

I kissed the top of his head and said, "Well you're my idiot, I hope." He pulled back so that he could look me in the eyes and nodded. I flashed him another brilliant smile that turned slightly devilish before standing and pulling him to his feet as well.

"And, you'll hear the end of this…when you do something else to give your brothers ammunition to use against you."

I had took a step or two down the stairs when I realized that Ron wasn't following. I turned to find him beginning to hyperventilate once again. I reached for his hand and said, "Deep breaths, love. Remember deep breaths."

He finally took a step down as well and asked, "Is there anyway we could not tell them that I fainted? Maybe tell them that I was so excited I tripped and fell?"

I turned and began descending the steps, Ron's hand still in mine. "Not on your life."

As expected, Fred had taken the mickey out on him just as bad as he had expected and continued to until the next week when Fred was throwing up in the bushes from nerves before his wedding. Then the tables were turned and the brothers called a truce.

'----------

In the spring of 2003, Ron and I were married. At the time, I was seven months pregnant and felt like I was as big as a house, but Ron had reassured me that I was absolutely stunning and that he truly missed getting to see me pregnant with the twins. He even went as far to say that he wanted me to keep my wedding dress robes and wear them every time I was pregnant.

My response was "Exactly how many more times do you plan on impregnating me, Mr. Weasely?"

My heart melted when he responded with, "A fair few more times, Mrs. Weasley." Then he had kissed me and continued to move me gracefully, well as gracefully as a seventh month pregnant woman can move, around the dance floor to some classical music.

In the couple of months before the wedding, I had struggled through deciding what I wanted to give my husband for a wedding gift. I didn't even know if gift exchanging amongst the bride and groom was necessary, but I knew that I wanted to give him something that would make the day extraordinary. After all, he had given me the most precious of gifts, our children.

About two weeks before the wedding, I received a visit from Mark who wanted to RSVP for the wedding in person. He stated that Joe would be accompanying him and that Joe had wondered if we had any entertainment lined up for the reception. When I told him that we really hadn't, Mark suggested the band. My heart leapt at the prospect of seeing all the guys again, but I quickly declined.

"Mark, don't get me wrong. I would love to see the guys again, but I just don't know if we can risk that many Muggles coming to the wedding."

"Joe is the only Muggle…the others are wizards…just like me working for the Bureau."

Obviously I was a little shocked by this news. I would've never guessed any of the band members were wizards. They were so…. Muggle. But then again, so was Mark, and I guess that was part of their job…coming across as Muggle as possible. When the shock wore off, a brilliant plan had formed concerning what I could give my husband as a gift.

Approximately halfway through the reception, I had excused myself from Ron and our table of friends and made my way to the makeshift stage on the fair side of the tent that had been constructed for the celebration. I charmed the microphone to work and asked for everyone's attention.

"You know, I've struggled for weeks trying to decide what I could give my husband as a gift to honor our marriage." I ran my right hand over my swollen stomach and brought it to rest on the top of the bulge just under my left breast. "As you can see, he's already given me his gift." The crowd erupted in laughter.

"Finally a couple weeks ago, it came to me…what I thought he might enjoy the most and that he would remember for years to come. However, I'll need a few of my friends to come up here and help me out. Gentlemen, if you would?"

Everyone had watched as Joe and the other band members made their way to the stage and took their places. As Joe passed me on his way to his spot behind the drums, he gave me a chaste kiss on the cheek and said, "Just breathe, sweetie." He laughed at the irony and I just shook my head.

Once the members were in place, I announced my intentions to the crowd. "Well, I don't know if many of you know this, but while I was on my _extended vacation_ in America, I became quite fond of singing. As a matter of fact, the first time my Ronald saw me after nearly five long years of missing from the wizarding world, I was on stage performing. So my gift to you, my dear husband, is a song."

I then began to sing _Breathe_ by Ameican Muggle recording artist Faith Hill. By the time the song was over there wasn't a dry eye in the room.

'----------

'_Cause I can feel you breathe_

_It's washing over me_

_Suddenly I'm melting into you_

_There's nothing left to prove_

_Baby all we need is just to be_

_Caught up in the touch_

_The slow and steady rush_

_Baby, isn't that the way that love's supposed to be_

_I can feel you breathe_

_Just breathe_

'----------

June twenty-ninth was the first time I ever really scoffed at the advice that I had given and received so many times and had found such solace in.

It was about six hours since the contractions had started and I had progressed to hard labor much quicker than I had with the twins. It was Ron who was offering the comforting advice of "deep breaths, love, remember deep breaths" when I suddenly didn't find the words very comforting at all.

I had grabbed Ron by the shirt collar and pulled his face close to mine so that I could look him square in the eyes before I growled, "This is your bloody fault and if I could get up out of this bed, you'd be wearing you bollocks around your neck." I heard the Healer who had come in to check on my progress chuckle under his breath. "If I want to hold my bloody breath, I'll hold my bloody breath."

Bless his heart, Ron had taken my verbal abuse in stride and not even two minutes later I had gone from nearly violently aggressive to weeping and pleading with him to make the pain stop. He soothed me when I needed calming. He allowed me to scream at him when the pain got to be too much. Most of all, the thick prat continued to tell me that I needed to breathe every contraction I held my breath.

After seven hours and thirty-three minutes of labor, Orion Charles Weasley took his first breath and suddenly all was right in the world once again. Well that was until Ron fainted once again. Ginny, who had been helping the healer during the delivery, had quickly went to him, slapping his face in an irritated manner. I actually laughed when she said, "Honestly, Ron, you have got to learn breathe in situations like this."

As the Healer was attending to me, I glanced down at my husband lying on the floor as he was struggling to sit up. "Yes, love, remember deep breaths."

'----------

Now eighteen years after first meeting the only man that I ever truly loved and ever truly will, I stand on Platform 9 ¾ watching steam flow from the Hogwarts Express II (the first had apparently been destroyed in the Final War against Voldemort) as it begins to slowly creep away from the station.

With tears running down my cheeks, I wave one final time at the two little faces I fell in love with eleven and a half years ago. As they begin to disappear out of sight, my right hand rests on my once again swollen belly as my left gingerly runs through the hair of my six-year-old son as he continues to wave to his brother and sister. I take a ragged breath and feel the now familiar touch of my Ron's arm around my waist.

"Just breathe, love," he whispers as he kisses me lightly on the temple.

Through teary eyes, I look at my husband who is holding Molly Magdeline Weasley, our two-year-old daughter whom we named after her grandmother who had passed away about four months after Orion was born.

I close my eyes and lean into his shoulder and take my three calming breaths.

'_Yes,' _I tell myself. _'Just breathe.' _And in that moment, I truly understand the words of the song I sang for Ronald on our wedding day. I can feel the magic…the magic of life and of love…in the air and just as I've always been with him, I'm swept away.

FIN

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Once again I'd like to thank JK for allowing her characters to frolic in my story for a bit; Cheryl Crow, Leann Rimes, Michele Branch and Faith Hill for their brilliant songs that helped inspire my story and many times were the supporting characters in the story.

I'd also like to extend my extreme thanks to everyone to has stuck with this story…those who have left their reviews and those that have simply enjoyed the story anonymously.

Currently, I have no intentions on a sequel, but as I have mentioned before it is definitely at the back of my mind.

Shortly, I'll be posting the first chapter in my story called "Deuces Wild." This will be an Alternate Universe sixth-year story that I think will be good for some laughs.

Again…thank you everyone……keep on reading and enjoying the world of fan fiction!


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